Acadian Flycatcher: Sometimes you just get lucky, I say this as I had a really short bird surveying job in the morning, the next couple of days booked off. So just after BirdGuides pinged Dawn and I decided to run down to Kent and tick the bird.
The jury was out to what species the bird was however it was shortlisted to the nondescript group of American "empidonax" flycatchers that are renowned for being notoriously difficult to separate and identify.
Once we arrived and found a suitable place to park we didn't have to wait long to get our first glimpse of the bird dashing between the bushes at the side of the cottage.
The bird eventually gave us some stunning views as it flittered in and around the front door and the wooden benches outside the cottage.
There were plenty of discussions going on around me about the birds bill size, yellowness of its belly plumage, its primary wing feather lengths and many people keen to call the bird a Yellow-bellied and Alder Flycatcher.
Still the jury was out.
The bird seemed to become more accustomed to the gathering crowds of twitchers as several times it came right up to the fence and within just a couple of feet from us.
If the birds gets accepted as an Acadian Flycatcher it will be the first ever record for the UK. There are plenty of people with more of an eye then myself that believe the bird has positive overwhelming features to be identified as an Acadian.
Dawn has never witnessed crowds of this size and was amazed as they swelled and more and more twitchers came to stand in the rain and see this super little bird.
Great twitch topped off with my first Wilson's Phal from Vange Marsh, Essex.
