'Why were 50 cameras pointing at my window?'

More than a dozen photographers on the other side of a white fence looking through their cameras, seemingly pointing to the person taking the photo.

Looking out of your window to find "at least 50" photographers staring back at you isn't the norm for many people.

But that's what teenager Max was faced with when a rare bird settled on the guttering of the Norfolk house he was staying in.

Max had come face to face with a flock of bird fans who had travelled from far and wide to Mundesley in the hope of spotting a northern nutcracker, not seen in the UK since 1991.

The 17-year-old said: "It was mad because all the photographers that were around in the street, it looked like they were all taking photos of us."

Max has short blond hair and is wearing a white shirt. He is smiling at the camera and standing next to a white-framed window which looks out onto the garden.

However, he said the confusion was brief as his grandfather eventually put two and two together.

Max, from Ruislip, West London, had already read about hundreds of twitchers causing disruption to buses in Mundesley after the bird was spotted in the area.

He said the bird stayed put for five to 10 minutes, flew off and then returned to settle outside their window.

The teenager said: "I don't know much about birds myself but it wasn't a very spectacular-looking bird.

"I didn't notice it was anything special but it was amazing because it was clearly a big deal for all these other people."

Northern nutcrackers are slightly smaller than a city pigeon but much chunkier and heavier than a blackbird.

A spokesperson for the RSPB said migrations like this are "not unheard of". They said pine seed crops in Siberia have likely failed, causing many birds to venture west in search of food.

A slightly blurred picture of a brown bird with white speckles, perched on a roof. The picture is taken through some curtains.

Following the descent on the village by people hoping to see the bird, avid twitcher Wayne Glossop set up a fundraiser for Mundesley Inshore Lifeboat.

He said he wanted to "give something back" to the community. It has raised almost £1,500 so far, almost tripling its target.

A northern nutcracker bird. It has chocolate coloured feathers with white speckling. It is sitting on a thin tree branch.

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Original source 'Why were 50 cameras pointing at my window?'

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