News broke this morning of a truly astonishing bird: a Citril Finch feeding among the dunes and pinewoods of north Norfolk. For a species that is essentially sedentary and strongly tied to high mountain habitats, the news felt almost unreal.
The Citril Finch is a bird of altitude and isolation, breeding mainly in the Pyrenees and the high ranges of central Europe, from the Alps east to the Black Forest. Outside these upland strongholds, it is rarely encountered, and long-distance movements are exceptional. In a British context, the species is virtually mythical, with just one previous record: a male on Fair Isle in June 2008 that remained for around five days. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine there would be another, let alone so soon.
There was no hesitation. I was soon in the car heading east with my son Dylan, and four hours later, we were parked up at Lady Anne’s Drive. From there, we set off on the long trek towards the far edge of the pinewoods where they meet Burnham Overy Staithe — a solid half-hour yomp through sand and needles.
Then, almost absurdly, within two minutes of arriving, the bird appeared. There it was, feeding on the ground at the base of a pine, completely unconcerned and utterly out of place. The sense of disbelief was overwhelming.
Seeing a Citril Finch on a Norfolk dune system is something that simply shouldn’t happen — and yet here it was.Unbelievable. And instantly evocative too, bringing back a powerful grip of memories of that Fair Isle bird all those years ago — a once-in-a-generation encounter, now improbably repeated.
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