Rare birds flock to British shores in record numbers.

Hurricanes and global warming bring unusual visitor.

Britain's avian immigration figures are set to soar to a record level this year. #Birdwatchers say hurricanes and severe weather in north America and Asia have caused major disruptions to #bird migrations across the globe and swept an unprecedented number of #species towards the British Isles.

#Birds winging their way to their #breeding grounds on the other side of the Atlantic or in the Pacific have been left stranded in Britain and Ireland, adding their numbers to native #species.

Twitchers, as the most fanatical birdwatching enthusiasts are termed, have already observed a total of 442 species in the British Isles this year. The highest number ever spotted in one year is 445, in 2008.

Last month a Siberian rubythroat – a tiny brown bird with a scarlet chest – was spotted outside Lerwick in Shetland. A native of east Asia, it is extremely rare in Britain, but has now spent the past two weeks at the very northern edge of the nation, caught by the cameras of twitchers who have flocked to the island.

Similarly, a #bufflehead – a small #duck with a distinctive bulbous head – was spotted in a #farm pond on the Lizard in Cornwall.

"It had been migrating south from Canada to southern United States when it was swept out into the Atlantic by a storm. It had probably travelled more than 3,000 miles, which explains why it was knackered." The bufflehead has since flown on, probably to Portugal, he added.