Spotting a rare bird is 'a hell of a feeling'

Mike Lomax travels hundreds of miles for the chance to see rare birds

Bird watchers from across England are in west Cornwall hoping to catch sight of a Booted Eagle. BBC News talks to some of them about the "euphoria" of spotting a rare bird, which often involves travelling hundreds of miles at short notice.

There is a bustle of activity as about a dozen or so bird watchers in a lay-by near Marazion pick up their tripods and scuttle hastily along the busy A30.

Word has reached them the rare Booted Eagle has been seen from a bus stop about 100m (328ft) up the road.

Another two dozen or so birders are already there focussing intently across a field towards a treeline in the middle distance using their powerful telescopes.

A few minutes later there are high fives and excited chatter.

Bird watchers from across England have travelled hundreds of miles for the chance to see the Booted Eagle in Cornwall

"It was superb. It came up out of those trees over there and flew around for a good few minutes," Mike Lomax said.

"It was very, very good."

Having driven from the New Forest, about four hours away, he is delighted.

"Last Friday I was in Northumberland for a White-billed Diver," he says.

"Us twitchers are crazy... I will let the euphoria of this one die down, and then on to the next one."

He fits in his birding trips around a job looking after adults with learning difficulties.

Sightings of the Booted Eagle have attracted enthusiasts from across the UK to west Cornwall

The Booted Eagle is very rarely seen in the UK and more common in the warmer climate of south-eastern Europe and the Middle East.

This one was seen in west Cornwall in October, but went into hiding until it was spotted earlier this week, sparking renewed excitement.

David Holman slept in his car to be in the best position at first light

David Holman is looking at his pager where rare bird sightings are shared with enthusiasts and "Booted Eagle. Marazion. 6 minutes ago" is the top message.

The 78-year-old drove more than eight hours from Norfolk, grabbing a couple of hours sleep in his car before first light.

"I was standing here for a few hours, and said to someone 'I'm going to get a coffee - I bet it shows when I am gone'.

"And sure enough it did."

All was not lost though for the former BT engineer and he got a view of the eagle soon afterwards.

"I've seen one before, in Cornwall in 1999, but it was not considered wild as they thought it had escaped from somewhere," he says.

"But this one may change the thinking on that bird."

He has been bird watching since the 1950s and has been all over the world to see different species, including Antarctica, Africa, India, Sri Lanka and South Korea.

Holiday sightings

Mr Lomax said his family was largely supportive of his interest.

"When we do family trips abroad, half of it is birding," he said.

"We went to America last year and I did a lot of birding. I did though take them into central New York for a few days and even then I got some birds.

"We went up to the top of the Empire State Building and a got a peregrine falcon - my wife said this always happens to me."

He, like everyone else, was kitted out with a telescope or "scope", binoculars or "bins" and a tripod or "sticks". Most also have wide-lens cameras - many thousands of pounds worth of equipment.

Steve Lawton travelled from Yorkshire

For Steve Lawton, it is about "primeval collecting".

"Victorians would have collected eggs. We are doing it in a more sustainable way - as ticks in a book," he said.

Keen birders keep a list of the species they have seen, symbolically ticking them off as they go.

"It's a buzz, an adrenaline rush," Mr Lawton said.

"That satisfaction when you get it - it's a hell of a feeling."

He travelled with his brother from Wetherby in Yorkshire.

"I got off to a terrible start this year. There was a Yellow Warbler in Kent I ended up missing. And I couldn't get down yesterday to see this one," he said.

"To miss two 'mainland lifers' in the first 13 days of the year would have been terrible."

The retired business analyst has spotted more than 500 different species and said he usually has to travel to islands for new ones so birds on the mainland are worth the extra effort in his view.

He, like all the others at the bus stop in west Cornwall, can now tick off the Booted Eagle on their lists.