Hoopoe in West Yorkshire - 1 October 2020

A wonderful little Hoopoe turned up in Collingham, West Yorkshire this week. This vagrant visitor is normally found in France, Spain and other parts of Europe as well as Africa. The UK gets around 100 birds per year and is the northern limit of its range - Hoopoes are normally found on the south and east coasts of this country but weather systems often push the birds further north and inland in some years. This five minute video shows the bird voraciously feeding on grubs in the Collingham and Linton Cricket Club outfield whilst doing a god job of aerating the grass.