It is not often that I have “Twitched” a rare bird in Wales, but today was an exception as there has been a male Rock Thrush taken up residence in a quarry near Blaenavon, near Abergavenny in South Wales. Rock Thrush is a rare vagrant to our shores from southern and eastern Europe and should be wintering in north west Africa. It has been a long time since I saw my first one of these birds in Britain. It was another male on the golf course at Hunstanton in Norfolk. I have managed to see quite a few on my travels in various countries in Europe. This bird showed well in Pwll-Du Quarry, where it has been for the past week or so.
Rock Thrush – male – Pwll-Du Quarry, Blaenavon, South Wales – Tony Davison©