American bird spotted once before on Scottish island 70 years ago wows army of birdwatchers

The American robin is a very rare sight in Scotland, and has only been recorded once before in the country the 1960s | George Gay

An American bird seen only once before on a Scottish island since the 1960s was spotted again to the amazement of birdwatchers.

The American Robin was found on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, by Craig Forsyth and photographed by George Gay.

The bird, a red-breasted thrush, and a totally different bird to the UK robin, was spotted mid-October.

It was the second ever recorded in the Scottish archipelago, with the previous sighting in May 1961.

The American robin is a very rare sight in Scotland, and has only been recorded once before in the country the 1960s | George Gay

It was a first, however, for North Ronaldsay.

“It was very much a surprise,” said Mr Gay, who works as an ornithological warden at North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory.

“It’s a brilliant bird for us, and for Orkney.”

The American Robin is an entirely different bird to the UK robin, despite both boasting a handsome red chest | George Gay

The species is a rare sight in the UK, with only a few recorded across Britain.

The first ever sighting of the bird on UK soil was in Devon in 1952, according to reports. Since then there have only been some 30 sightings.

Writing in BirdGuides, Mr Forsyth spoke about his expedition battling the elements while trying to keep up with the bird after spotting it.

After alerting other bird officials on the island, he was told to “stay on it,” which saw the keen twitcher fall flat on his face after his leg went down a rabbit hole, before hobbling his way through the island’s Laird's Park, which “consists almost entirely of tussocks that are quite keen to break your ankles”.

Reinforcement arrived, with more eyes on the bird, followed by a mass mobilisation of the observatory staff, Mr Forsyth said.

“The subsequent search can only be described as chaotic as a small army of birders staggered forth as swiftly as possible,” he said.

“We split off in various directions to cover more ground once people knew what was going on.

“As we worked our way along the wall, a bird flicked up and landed on a post.”

Mr Forsyth said due to the light, no one could tell what is was beyond a large thrush, but he took a shot on the camera which revealed they were back on to the bird.

“We hollered across the field, bringing everyone else running as fast as Laird's Park allows,” he said.

“The American Robin remained mobile, heading back towards the field it originally started in with us in tow.

“We reached the dividing wall, where for no apparent reason the bird decided that, instead of being flighty and mobile, it wanted to simply sit there. Not that anyone was complaining. Manic stress now turned to relief as everyone connected, for the first time we were able to enjoy the bird.

Mr Forsyth added: “I ended up sitting in a rather perplexed state as now it began to properly sink in what an outrageous find the bird was – a first for the island and a fulfilment of a long-standing daydream of mine to find a rare thrush, albeit in rather bizarre circumstances.

“The recent weather had made us hopeful for some rare eastern visitors to be in the system, and yet here was one for the totally opposite direction. Who knows what will turn up next.”

American robins, which are a symbol of good luck and new beginnings in the US, are common from Alaska to Acapulco most of the year.

During winter months, they fly to the sunnier climates of Central and South America.

It is during this migration that the bird is thought to have flown off course, paying a visit to Orkney.

The European, and seemingly original, robin is a small bird — part of the flycatcher family. Meanwhile the American robin is part of the thrush family and is much bigger. The only point of commonality is the red breast and their name, bird experts have said.