Watch the birdie

Twitchers thrilled at first sighting since 80s

- LUCY THORNTON

HORDES of birdwatchers have descended on a quiet cul-de-sac to snap a rare species perched on a garden washing line.

The scarlet tanager is believed to have arrived in England after being blown off course by a North American hurricane.

It has been described as "the biggest twitch of the year" after the yellow female ended up in a garden in the village of Shelf, near Halifax, West Yorkshire.

Believed to be its first appearance ever in the county, the bird has not been seen in England since a Cornwall sighting in the 1980s.

Dave Stone, 75, said he travelled 280 miles from his home in Exeter, Devon, in the early hours of yesterday with three avian-loving friends in the hope it would return to its favourite spot.