AN ocean crossing sea bird blown off course by high winds made an unscheduled landing – in the garden of a Headless Cross home.
Jo Frost was alarmed when she heard a clattering noise against the dining room window at 11pm on Saturday night.
On closer investigation she discovered a strange bird sat on her patio.
“I didn’t have a clue what it was – it was bird, but had webbed feet like a duck – I’d never seen anything like it in my life,” said Jo.
However the stranger was in luck; fearing it might fall victim to the neighbour’s cat, Jo and her twin daughters Sophie and Maisie popped it in a plastic tub and brought it into the kitchen.
From there it spent the night in the side passage next to the family rabbit while Jo did some research.
Google couldn’t provide an answer but a Facebook posting found its way to an old school friend, Simon Watts, who now runs his own wildlife website ‘Wild Presentations’. He identified it as a Manx Shearwater.
The birds, which are the size of a pigeon, can live to be 55 and are masters of ocean flight.
Simon told Jo it had probably been blown off course flying from its breeding grounds on the island of Skomer off Pembrokeshire to sunnier climes in Brazil for winter.
“How it came to be in Redditch – well it’s staggering,” said Jo.
“The next day Simon came straight over from Coventry. I’d been trying to feed it mashed peas but it wasn’t interested and Simon said they lived on mulched mackerel and squid.”
The bird, although dehydrated and hungry, was in good physical shape and taken to a sanctuary in Worcester to build up its strength ready to be released once again from Pembrokeshire.
“Simon is hoping to be there for its release and will make a short film of it which is wonderful as this has been really exciting for us,” said Jo.
