BBCWhen news of a rare American songbird has been spotted in a West Yorkshire cul-de-sac ornithologists sleepy spirit converge on a quiet road faster than a falcon in free fall.
But for long-term residents of Shelf – previously known only as the home of Blue Peter presenter John Noakes and interior designer Linda Barker – the arrival of the red tanager brought the village into the limelight and many “crazy” visitors.
While some complain about parking and noise around the bin, others are excited to see the village put on the map.
“There are more queer people on this street in two days than in the last 30 years,” said Peter Flesher.
The 82-year-old, who has lived in Bridle Dene for three decades, said most visitors had appreciated it, although he described the excitement as “any kind of pain”.
“To be fair, he’s been a good guy and hasn’t caused any trouble,” he said.
“We’ve got two granddaughters who live there and they’re a little freaked out because there’s 200 people staring at their house. But no, they’re great.
News of the arrival of the red tanager – which is usually found in the forests of North America – broke last weekend, sending bird watchers into a frenzy.
According to some reports, the sighting in West Yorkshire is the first in England in 10 years and only the eighth recorded in this country.
Mr Flesher said he had been out to speak to a number of bird watchers and had met people from as far away as Glasgow.
“I don’t believe these people. They came from Kent, Cornwall and one chap said he came from Cambridge.
“And it’s all full.”
Another long-term resident, Tony Gregson, 90, has lived on the street for 40 years.
He said he first saw the bird in his garden in September.
“It’s been here for a week,” he said.
“It was in the bird feeder and I asked my sister ‘what bird is that?’ – it must have been five or six weeks since then and everyone has come.”
Mr Gregson said someone knocked on the door and asked to try to see it from his garden, but felt it was a step too far.
“They wanted to go into the back garden and I said ‘no’ because you don’t know what they’re doing. But they were fine.
“They are very friendly. Very nice people.”
Among those making the pilgrimage to West Yorkshire was Stewart Short from Cambridgeshire.
He said Thursday’s visit to Shelf was his second trip and second attempt to see one of his bucket list birds.
“I heard about it last weekend,” he said
“I was here on Tuesday but I didn’t see the bird, so I came back.”
But great adventures come with their own challenges – where does the twitcher go to the toilet for example?
“Going to the toilet is sometimes difficult,” Mr Short said. “It’s a question of finding the right tree.”
Pauline, a birdwatcher from Gargrave, said it was more difficult for women.
“I look out for a place before we get anywhere – Tesco is good,” he told me.
Despite only traveling 25 miles for today’s outing, Pauline has traveled as far as Devon for her birdwatching trip.
“We’re looking for Merlin. We don’t see him,” he said.
Julie King, 78, who has lived on the shelf for 19 years, said the village has been “busy” with traffic and parking the main problems.
“I have heard more car horns going – there may be more,” she said
However, he thinks the visitors will stop again. And the street was quieter than on Monday when between 200-300 people came to the place.
“I thought it was gone,” she said.
“I can’t see them flying all the way back to America.”
Matthew and his wife have lived in Rak for two years. He passed Bridle Dene while walking two dogs.
Although he says he’s “not twitchy in any way,” he’s been carrying binoculars and looking directly at the red tanager for the past week.
The couple lived on the other side of the village, so the crowd didn’t bother them, but Matthew said he heard voices of displeasure from other residents.
“The car park is full every day. Of course these last few days have been crazy, busier than usual.
“It’s a sleepy little village with not much going on.
“Obviously there are some people who are excited that these birds are in town, and are very happy to see all these people, while others don’t like the disturbance.
“It’s interesting for a small, sleepy village like Shelf. To see Shelf on the national news is crazy.
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