В Шетландских островах впервые зафиксировано появление египетской козодоя

Roger Riddington spots Egyptian nightjar in a first for Scotland A renowned ornithologist who spotted an “exceptionally rare bird” for the first time ever in the isles says he “never expected to find it”. Roger Riddington, former editor of the British Birds journal and an acclaimed birder spotted the Egyptian nightjar near his house in Virkie on Saturday, making it a first for Scotland - and only the third ever sighting in the UK. Since then, birders from far and wide have flocked to Shetland to get a glimpse of the rare bird - with some chartering flights to make their way north. Dr Riddington said it was “an incredible record,” since the Egyptian nightjar, just like the name suggests, is usually found in north Africa and the Middle East. “The chances are it'll never be seen again and recognised for what it is, which is an Egyptian nightjar,” he added. He said this species was so rare in Britain it was like a “mythical member” of the nightjar family. The only two other sightings in the UK were in 1883 and in 1984. The second bird was witnessed only by one person, and the latest sighting is only the second official record in more than 140 years. Dr Riddington said nightjars are classified as a “scarce” summer visitor in the UK, while the Egyptian nightjar's visit was truly “exceptional”. He said the poor bird was “completely lost” possibly due to the warming climate. “There's been incredible heat in southern Europe and further south this summer, so that may have contributed to the reason for the bird being here,” he said. “It's just so far north of where it should be.” However Dr Riddington remained hopeful the bird would survive in Shetland - despite the harsher conditions. “It obviously won't get back to where it should be,” he said, “But in the short term it should survive okay, and maybe it'll go south and end up somewhere in Britain.” The ornithologist said the isles have a great track record of rare birds - but this was right there at the top. “It's an exceptionally rare bird, so it's caused a lot of interest,” he added. “There were maybe 30 or 40 people there on Sunday, and the bird was still there yesterday,” he said. Shetland Times nature columnist Joyce Garden said the first Egyptian nightjar was later shot by Albert Spinks, a keeper at Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. Joseph Whitaker of Rainworth Lodge, hearing about the pale colour of the nightjar which his keeper had shot, retrieved the corpse and had the bird taxidermied to preserve it. An inscribed stone was placed where the shooting happened. The inscription read: “This stone was placed here by J. Whitaker, of Rainworth Lodge, to mark the spot where the first British specimen of the Egyptian nightjar was shot by A. Spinks, on June 23rd, 1883, this is only the second occurrence of this bird in Europe”. Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.