Twitching rarities often takes you to some strange places but yesterday has got to be the most bizarre twitch I have ever done! On 22nd January, an Alpine Accentor, only the 10th for Belgium, was unexpectedly discovered within the walls of Bouillon castle by a group doing a bat survey. It is still there so I finally made the three-hour long journey by train and bus to Bouillon and paid my entrance fee to the castle, where I had to walk through underground tunnels, past dungeons and a torture chamber (!) to reach the inner courtyard where the bird is often seen. There was no sign of it of course, so I continued on along winding stairways, peering out of turret windows, to the highest point of the castle. There were two other birders present but, after half an hour, none of us had seen anything so I headed back down into the courtyard, where I suddenly heard an unfamiliar song. I looked up and there it was, blending in perfectly with the rock wall.
It was constantly in subsong, even when it was feeding, and, at one point, came to within a couple of metres of us to feed on some breadcrumbs. What a gorgeous little bird and a joy to watch, having only seen them a few times before in the Alps, at elevations of 2000m or more.
We're only a few weeks into 2023 but Belgium may already have its bird of the year.
We're only a few weeks into 2023 but Belgium may already have its bird of the year.
