A PHOTOGRAPHER has shared of how she was left in awe after managing to capture snaps of a rare exotic bird – which marked only the 19th sighting of the animal in the area since 1860.
Alison Livingstone had been scrolling social media last Thursday when she was alerted to the fact that a hoopoe had been spotted in Comber, County Down – just 22 miles from her.
The 57-year-old from Portaferry, County Down leapt at the chance to snap the rarely-seen creature, and raced over to the area, delighted to find that the bird had not yet fled.
In fact, the hoopoe had gathered a crowd of fans who were equally taken by its appearance – giving Alison the chance to capture the once-in-a-lifetime appearance on camera.
Incredible images show the exotic hoopoe looking into the camera with black beady eyes – its head is turned as beautiful black and white striped wings fold over its back.
The hoopoe’s head is adorned with a crown of raised brown feathers, tipped with spots of black, resembling a mohawk hairstyle.
Beneath the bird’s feet are daisies, contrasting a typical European environment with a bird usually seen in African savannahs.
Further images show the bird inspecting a nearby road with its ‘crown’ lowered as it shows off its long black beak, white stomach and rose-coloured neck.
Alison shared the stunning snaps to social media on Friday, writing: “A very rare visitor arrived in Northern Ireland a few days ago and has caused quite a stir.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d see a hoopoe just a 40 minute drive from our house but after seeing photographs of one I simply had to try my luck to see if I could find him.
“He was amazing.”
The post received over 3,700 likes and more than 490 comments from users left stunned by the beautiful bird’s cameo appearance in unfamiliar territory.
Theresa Andy Farr wrote: “That is one stunning bird – how great to have spotted and brilliant to get photos to share. Wow.”
Her Zell commented: “My goodness, what a beauty. I’ve never even heard of this wee bird before.
“Such a privilege that it has graced our wee island. Stay safe, little one.”
Adele Barton said: “I used to live in Africa. This bird was a welcome, common sight.”
Francesca Cortvriend wrote: “Our daughter had one in her garden in a fairly new house in Andover, Hampshire a few years ago on her birthday.
“We said she should buy a lottery ticket. Beautiful birds – very few come to the UK and those that do are a bit off-course.”
Speaking to Alison today she said: “I saw on Instagram that a Hoopoe had been seen in Comber, County Down over here in Northern Ireland on Wednesday last week.
“On Thursday, I learnt it was still there so I took a chance and drove about 40 minutes from our house, and was delighted to see three other people there who had found him and were taking photographs.
“I joined them and was utterly delighted to get those shots. He was about for five days but hasn’t been seen since Friday afternoon, as far as I know.
“It’s incredibly rare for them to arrive here – only about 100 a year get blown off-course and they usually arrive in the south of England.”
The hoopoe are a group of colourful birds commonly found in Africa and East Asia; known for their ‘crown’ of feathers, the exotic creatures migrate to warm climates in the spring.
However, sometimes the birds can get blown into the opposite direction during migration, meaning that they can accidentally appear in Southern England.
Any appearances further north are even rarer and it is thought that only 19 have been spotted so far in Northern Ireland in 160 years.
