Bird-lovers SWAMP Beijing Zoo to catch glimpse of ROBIN dubbed 'Brexit refugee'

Hundreds of cameramen crammed together to get a photograph of Britain’s national bird after it touched down in China. While robin redbreasts are the UK’s best loved garden bird, behind the Bamboo Curtain they are star attractions for China’s growing army of bird photographers. This week’s sighting in the grounds of Beijing Zoo caused the kind of flocking behaviour seen among British twitchers on the Isles of Scilly or on the Shetlands when a rare bird touches down.

British conservationist and bird expert Terry Townshend recorded the historic event, not only with a record shot of the robin in all its glory but also the mass gathering of Chinese photographers with their vast array of expensive equipment.

The robin’s arrival has also made headlines in the local media, with Chinese Global Television Network declaring on its report: “’Brexit refugee’ receives grand welcome in Beijing, poses for photographer…

“The rare spotting of a European robin – a bird native to the UK and large parts of Europe – near Beijing Zoo has surprised ornithologists and other bird lovers.

“Crowned as the national bird of the UK after an extensive nationwide ballot in 2015, the robin attracted a large swarm of photographers and onlookers, who braved the prevailing cold wave to witness the majestic bird.”

Asiatic birds such as the Siberian rubythroat, eastern crowned warbler and dusky thrush have created similar scenes among Britain’s estimated 10,000 dedicated twitchers over the years, but the scenes from Beijing reveal both the growth of the country’s conservation movement as well as an increasingly affluent middle class with access to expensive photographic equipment.

Mr Townshend told followers on his Birding Beijing blog how he joined the mass ranks of Chinese photographers to catch a glimpse of the robin, only the third time the species has been recorded in the city.

He said: “The gathering very much had the feel of a social occasion with people chatting, drinking tea and catching up with friends. If the robin had been singing or calling, it would have been hard to hear it among the din of 200-plus people.

“One photographer thought it was hilarious that an English person had come to see what he described as a British bird. In fact, many of the photographers I spoke with associated the robin with Britain and it had even been light-heartedly called a “Brexit Refugee” on social media, escaping the political chaos in the country of its perceived origin.”

Mr Townshend, who is heavily committed to encouraging young Chinese people to care about their environment and initiates projects to track Beijing birds, described the photographers’ reactions when the robin finally rolled up.

He added: “It wasn’t long before the Robin appeared close by and it was a bit of a scrum as the chatter stopped and the photographers jostled for a prime spot from where to capture their hoped-for frame filling images. Running off the path and dragging themselves through some dense branches to reach a small clearing in the habitat was no barrier.

“It was all a little bizarre to see so many people so excited about a European robin but it also helped me to see the UK’s national bird in a new light and with a new sense of awe.

“After all, it is one of the most charismatic and loved birds of my home nation. And despite the slightly unruly behaviour of some of the photographers, it must be an encouraging sign that so many people are taking an interest in birds and the natural world in the world’s most populous country.”

In 2015, the British public voted to adopt the robin as our national bird in a poll organised by well known ornithologist David Lindo.

source: express.co.uk