Rare bird never seen before in UK spotted in Essex

_{Thursday 26th June 2025}

A bird so rare that it has never been photographed before has been spotted in Epping Forest. A distinctly pure white treecapper has been seen for what could be the first time in the UK, and was snapped by an amateur photographer, Christine Henry, 54.

Jonathan Downes

Cryptozoologist, naturalist, musician, singer, composer, poet, novelist and Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology since 1992. Jon was born in Portsmouth in 1959 and spent his infancy in Nigeria and his childhood in Hong Kong. His wife Corinna died of cancer in 2020, leaving him with two stepdaughters and a six year old granddaughter called Evelyn.