Birdwatchers from across the country have been flocking to West Hythe to catch a glimpse of a rare visitor.

A green heron from North America appeared by the Royal Military Canal at the weekend, and news of its arrival soon spread. It took up residence around the dam where the New Cut Sewer branches off and was still there on Tuesday.

There has never been a sighting of such a bird in Kent, and they are very rare in the rest of the country. The car park at West Hythe has been packed with people over the past week as birders have gathered on the banks of the canal.

Site manager for the RSPB in Dungeness Bob Gomes went to see the visitor and photographed it pottering about.

He said: “When it first arrived no one realised how rare it was. Even the Great Britain as a whole there has only ever been five records of it. At this time of year a lot of North American birds are going on their long-distance migrations down the east coast and they get caught up in hurricanes or large depressions and are blown across.

“They often turn up in the Isles of Scilly as they are the most westerly point of the British Isles. That’s why a lot of twitchers go there for holidays at this time of year.

“The green heron is quite a common bird in America and it has various sub-species. I would have thought it would be doubtful that it will ever make it back. Some of the wading birds migrate north to the arctic with our own waders, but this one seems to be quite happy.”

RSPB Dungeness has had a visitor from the other direction, blown over on gales from Eastern Europe. The red breasted fly catcher is still fluttering about the reserve and a Dartford warbler has also been regularly seen at the reserve.

Mr Gomes said: “It’s a good time of year for spotting migrants.”

uE06E It’s possible to spot the heron without driving as it has conveniently positioned itself at the end of the cycle path along the canal from Hythe. Carry on through the car park until you come to the dam.