Red-flanked Bluetail caught on Pensthorpe camera trap

A Red-flanked Bluetail has been caught on camera at Pensthorpe Natural Park near Fakenham, Norfolk – yet no one on site saw the bird during its stop at the reserve on 11 October.

The Siberian visitor was filmed by a camera trap set up by Pensthorpe's Senior Aviculture Warden, Kat MacPherson, to monitor a fence on the reserve. But, rather gallingly for the Pensthorpe team and visitors alike, the bird has presumably moved on without anyone actually clapping eyes on it following its covert visit almost two weeks ago.

This Red-flanked Bluetail was caught by a camera trap at Pensthorpe Natural Park, Norfolk, on 11 October.

In the short video released by the Pensthorpe team, the bird can be seen flitting around in typically restless fashion and characteristically quivering its tail, before seemingly flying towards the camera and landing on top of it.

Autumn 2020 has already proven a major year for Red-flanked Bluetail sightings across Britain, with the influx coming just weeks after we reported on a record year for the species on breeding grounds in Finland. Just this week, some 25 bluetails were seen across Britain – including inland records from Bedfordshire and Derbyshire, both of which were unsurprisingly county firsts (find out more about this week's bluetail arrival in our latest Review of the Week).

Watch the full video below:

Our Senior Aviculture Warden, Kat, captured a short clip of this Red flanked bluetail at our park on 10th October. This is the first sighting we have of a Red flanked bluetail on our sightings record. #birdwatching #naturereserve #gardens pic.twitter.com/26ueaXGWBy

— Pensthorpe (@Pensthorpe) October 21, 2020

Find out more about Pensthorpe Natural Park and its work at www.pensthorpe.com.