Hoopoe spotted again

John and Ruth Kemble report that the Hoopoe, the quite rare bird reported in Adderley yesterday (see Audlem Online yesterday) was spotted this morning at about 10.00am in Woodhouse Lane, heading south.

The Hoopoe is indeed an unusual bird in Britain. They are very striking, a pinkish buff bird, a little smaller than a pigeon, with curved bill and a pink crest; if you see one, they are extremely distinctive – you cannot mix it up with any other bird. They are quite happy in gardens and are reasonably comfortable near to humans.

The RSPB reckons about a hundred a year may visit Britain but the numbers do vary from year to year. Normally, however, those reaching England are seen in the south. They rarely nest here, but it has been known, indeed a pair nested in mid-Wales recently. It will be worth keeping an eye out in case we have a really rare event about to happen in the area. We assume the one seen this morning is the same as Adderley bird – the male and female look the same – but who knows!

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