Rare bird sighted in Cowell

Local bird enthusiasts Jim and Lorraine Walford snapped some photos of a Yellow Wagtail at the Cowell boat ramp – far outside the bird’s usual range.

Birdlife SA Rarities Committee informed the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board they believe this is the first record of the bird in Cowell – and possibly in the Eyre Peninsula.

There have been sightings of the Yellow Wagtail around South Australia in the past two years, but this is the first one with an all dark head, leading experts to believe it may be a different race altogether.

The committee say the visit from the feathery tourist may be due to changing weather patterns.