THIS was what all the fuss was about.
The drake King Eider duck that decided to stay a while in the sea off North Landing and also Thornwick Cliffs at Flamborough at the end of last month.
Birdwatcher Tony Dixon, 47, of Cornfield Crescent, Bridlington took this picture by digiscope – through his telescope – from the cliffs on Tuesday April 29 at 4.25pm.
The rare visitor left the area the following day after spending around five or six days off the headland.
It caused a stir among hundreds of birdwatchers, some of whom travelled great distances in the hope of seeing the bird
It is extremely rare to spot a King Eider in Yorkshire.
According to Mr Dixon, the previous Yorkshire record was one seen off the South Gare at Redcar in July 1998 where it stayed for a couple of hours before flying north in the direction of Hartlepool Headland.
The only other Yorkshire record prior to this was when one was reputedly captured at Bridlington Quay in August 1846.
The bird is normally found much further north and some regularly appear off the coast of Scotland but they spend most of their time in Arctic areas.
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The full article contains 292 words and appears in Bridlington Free Press newspaper.
