Delight for birdwatchers as rare Purple Heron wings its way to the country park in Cleethorpes

There was an unexpected visitor to Cleethorpes Country Park this weekend. A rare Purple Heron was seen variously skulking among the reeds or perched on a branch in the trees on the island in the lake. It is thought that the bird, a relative of the much more common Grey Heron, may have flown to Lincolnshire from the Netherlands where it breeds.