A green heron from the other side of the Atlantic has made a rare appearance in Britain, wildlife experts said yesterday.

The heron is widespread in the US and Canada, but is not expected to make the journey across the Atlantic to the UK and has only been spotted here on 10 previous occasions since records began.

It is thought the bird may have been blown off course during its annual migration.

Bob Mitchell, of the garden’s wildlife team, saw an unusual-looking bird in the site’s “lost valley” while doing his daily checks of the gardens and estate.

He said: “My eye was first caught by the unusual plumage of the bird and I realised it deserved closer investigation – on doing so I realised it was a heron, but not one that should be here at Heligan or in fact even in the UK.

“It was a very exciting experience and I was totally elated to be in the presence of such an unusual bird.”

Derek Julian, of the Cornwall Bird Watching and Preservation Society said: “The distance this small bird has travelled is amazing and we think it probably came in ahead of gales on Tuesday night.”