Birders flock to see very rare bird

The bird was still present on Monday October 19 and throughout the week, more than 100 birdwatchers turned up each day from all over the country with tripods, cameras, and camcorders, sometimes topping the 350 person mark and causing traffic problems in Hithermoor Road.

Staines taxi driver Nick Robertson was asked to take one of the bird watchers to the moor onTuesday October 12 from Staines train station.

He said: "It was about 2.00pm and he asked me to take him to Hithermoor Road. He had been told of the sighting the day before but couldn't go because he was working.
"There were about twenty to thirty people with tripods and cameras."

The Brown Shrike normally breeds across central and eastern Asia, where it migrates each winter to India, southeast Asia, and Indonesia.

It is a very rare vagrant to Europe, and there have only been six records of the bird in the UK, but this is the first time it has been recorded inland.

Although the Staines Moor visitor is now believed to be a Brown Shrike, there was discussion at first that it could be a close relative called the Red-backed Shrike.

Shepperton resident Hugh Evans, of the British Trust for Ornithology said either bird is a rare find.

He said: "The Red-backed Shrike used to breed in Surrey, but it doesn't any more, but both birds will attract a crowd."

But aside from pleasing bird watchers, the news of the rare bird has pleased campaigners against BAA's proposal to build an Airtrack railway link over 5,440 square metres of the Moor.

Earl Gray, who is Chairman of the Association of the Preservation of Staines Moor, said: "This is brilliant news, as it shows how diverse the moor is. If even part of the land is taken away then other generations will not be able to see what is on offer."

Mr Gray is planning to include the news of the Brown Shrike in a speech against the proposal at a public enquiry into Airtrack in the spring.

Staines Moor has been left unchanged for 1,000 years and contains more than 130 species of bird, 11 mammals, 20 molluscs, 16 butterflies, and 295 species of plants.