Hundreds of birdwatchers flocked to Wales to see a rare African species spotted in the UK for the first time.

Macclesfield resident Mike Barth said he 'dropped everything' after hearing that a western reef heron had been sighted in Caernarfon.

The keen photographer, who has been taking photos of birds for around 20 years, said that if proven, it would be a first for Britain, making it a 'mega rarity'.

"Firsts don't come around very often - so this was of the greatest interest to any birder in Britain, especially twitchers," Mike said.

"So any plans I had needed to be dropped or rearranged whilst I quickly jumped in the car for my two hour drive from Macclesfield to Caernarfon, specifically Fforyd Bay.

"When I arrived there were only a handful of birders there as it was still relatively new news.

"I have no doubt many around the country were already making plans to come up on the Sunday or Saturday evening to stay overnight."

The western reef heron was first spotted by Simon Hugheston-Roberts at 10am on Saturday, June 6.

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After confirming the grey-blue bird, he alerted a birdwatching WhatsApp group, of which Mike is a member.

By the afternoon, around 300 ornithologists arrived in the town hoping to catch sight of the egretta gularis.

The western reef heron has never been spotted in Britain before (Credit: Mike Barth/SWNS)

Mike said this particular species of bird is usually found in Africa and over to the Middle East, with a small number recorded in the Iberian Peninsula.

He believes the bird was blown off course to Wales due to the recent weather with fairly strong southerly winds.

Mike added: "It was a very satisfying trip, more often than not birds are found on work days and usually gone by the time the weekend comes around!

"So to get a mega rarity on a Saturday morning within two hours was very unusual in itself let alone a first for Britain."