Masked wagtail bird from Asia found in the UK for the first time

Birdwatchers from all over Britain have turned up in a tiny Welsh village to see the first recorded visit of a masked wagtail.

The species is normally found in Kazakhstan, Iran and Afghanistan but may have been brought here by the icy temperatures.

It was spotted on the roof of a semi-detached house in Camrose, Pembrokeshire, but local birdwatchers were unable to identify it.

An expert arrived and the bird was confirmed as the masked wagtail which has never been seen before in the British Isles.

More than 40 twitchers drove through the night and slept in their cars to get the first glimpse of the bird seen flying between chimney pots in the village.


Police were called because so many visitors turned up in the village, blocking country lanes and disturbing locals.

But most locals welcomed the birdwatchers, even making them cups of tea as they kept watch on the bird with binoculars and cameras.

One twitcher, a man from Derbyshire, said: "This is as exciting as it gets - this little bird has never been seen on our shores before.

"If it sticks around until the weekend there will be hundreds of people here to see it."

Another birdwatcher, freelance proofreader, Julian Thomas, 51, who drove from Somerset, described the rarity as a "smart looking bird".

He said: "It's a sub-species of our dear old pied wagtail. Birdwatchers will want to see it in case it is declared a separate species some time in the future.

"I would expect a few hundred here by the weekend and the signs are that it will stick around.

The locals have been very kind and we prominent to make a nuisance of ourselves."

The Rare Birds Alert website entry for says: "The highlight of the day was the discovery of Britain's first masked wagtail on a roof in Camrose, Pembrokeshire.

"The Asian form of the White wagtail has occurred as a vagrant in Norway twice and Sweden so the occurrence in Britain was on the cards."

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed they were called to the village after locals reported seeing dozens of cars parked on the roadside.

Officers went to investigate and discovered a small army of twitchers who had driven from as far away as Norfolk and Kent.

Dan Morgan, 19, who works at Camrose Stores, in the village said: "There's a great deal of excitement now that it's a confirmed sighting.

"We are thinking about setting up a tea and coffee stall down there - it could be a busy few days."