Редкий красноногий ястреб-перепелятник оказался в Лестовте из-за штормового ветра

How did a rare falcon end up so far away from home? - Published Twitchers armed with cameras were in their element this week after a rare bird of prey landed in Lowestoft - not far from the aptly titled Gull Wing Bridge. The red-footed falcon's arrival has sparked excitement, drawing responses such as "oh wow" and heart-eye emojis galore on social media, but is its cameo in Suffolk a cause for concern? The vulnerable species, which feeds on insects, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds, is native to Eastern Europe and Central Asia and spends its winters in Africa. How did it end up so far from home? And will it be able to get back on track? Harry Read, who lives in Bungay and is an ornithologist and ecologist, said "a few" red-footed falcons were spotted in the UK every year but "it is a rarity". He said the bird – spotted near the Dragonfly mural on Rotterdam Road – was likely to have hatched this year in Eastern Europe and would be on its way to Namibia or Zambia. "It has been blown over by easterly winds, which have forced it into East Anglia and it has turned up in Lowestoft absolutely exhausted," he said. "It is an incredibly exciting species to see and the fact it was in a busy, built-up area right next to a roundabout made it feel even more exciting, albeit a bit weird. "It was completely okay with people being close to it and it was feeding up on insects on the ground – it was really quite special to see." The falcons, of which there are up to 400,000 globally, are rarely seen in the UK. They often migrate in flocks and roost together during migration and wintering season. But according to Read, this particular bird is alone without its parents and "hundreds of miles" off course, so will need to build its strength before its journey. "It's got a hell of a long way to go, but it was feeding quite well and looked very agile and pretty healthy, but it could be exhausted," he added. "It needs to be left alone in peace to hunt and feed so it can build up fat reserves to get it back to where it needs to be and find its own way there, which is a concern. "It'll be a much greater challenge than if it hadn't have been blown off course, but there is a good chance it can make it - it is not an impossibility." Jon Carter, from British Trust for Ornithology, in Thetford, Norfolk, is also optimistic and eager to remain positive, but acknowledges survival is not guaranteed. "Sadly, these off-course individuals will often perish, but others will survive just fine," said Carter, who like Read, believes strong winds played their part in the bird's detour. "But vagrancy in birds is a reasonably regular occurrence, especially in young birds that haven't quite figured things out, so it's not so much a concern. "It could quite easily head south and complete its journey - it has plenty of time to do that - hopefully it can rest and refuel before reorienting and moving on." Whether the friendly falcon makes it to its destination remains to be seen, but, if nothing else, its layover in Lowestoft has certainly brought a smile to a flock of faces. "I saw the falcon on the slip road coming off the Gull Wing Bridge, so decided to take a photo, but I'd never heard of it before," said Stuart Walker, 51. "I thought it was a sparrowhawk but then I saw a lot of comments on Facebook saying it was a rare thing, so I posted [my photo] on the site to see if it was the same. "It did not seem to be afraid of us and it was amazing to see it up close - this is probably the best photo I've taken, and it was just on an iPhone." Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below. Get in touch Your Voice Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, external, Instagram, external and X, external. Related topics - Published24 November 2015 - Published30 August - Published6 days ago