Unusual winter visitors seen in Bermuda include a rarity last seen on the island almost 30 years ago.

The sighting of a Say’s Phoebe was reported by the Bermuda Audubon Society on Sunday after birdwatcher Luke Foster noticed the bird near the Clearwater roundabout in St David’s.

The charity noted “a large influx of migrating birds” to Bermuda, with some coming in as a result of autumn storms.

Say’s Phoebe, which makes its natural habitat in western North America, was last seen in Bermuda by the late birdwatcher Eric Amos in November 1994.

His decades-old sighting of the flycatcher species, near Fort Scaur in Somerset, marked a first for Bermuda.

The Audubon Society posted online that the bird’s reappearance made it “an extreme vagrant to eastern North America, especially Bermuda”.

The charity posted last week that the island was seeing large numbers of unusual birds passing through on their migratory routes as well as getting carried to the island by storms.

The birds were said to be striking windows as well as being discovered exhausted on the ground.

Lynne Thorne, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, advised there was “a plethora of birds on the island migrating in and also as a result of fallout from recent storms”.

Dr Thorne advised anyone discovering birds on the ground and appearing stunned to “first find a box, put a towel on the bottom or a few layers of paper towel, cover the top and place in a dark, warm and quiet area while calling a rehabilitator”.

She advised the public not to give water or food to the birds because of their vulnerability when in shock, and the need for skilled treatment if injured.

Dr Thorne added: “If you are able to pick up bird, safe to assume he/she is in critical shape.”

She said she could be contacted at 799-8888.

Say’s Phoebe, Sayornis saya, is classed as common out west, breeding from Alaska to the US Southwest, and wintering from the desert southwest into Mexico and as far as northern Central America.

Another sighting reported over the weekend was the Upland Sandpiper, Bartramia longicauda.

Miguel Mejías reported spotting the “skittish bird” in the area of Pembroke Marsh, calling it a “peculiar yet beautiful sandpiper” occasionally seen on the island as an autumn transient.

Dr Mejías said finding the Sandpiper at the marsh was an even more exciting encounter than Say’s Phoebe.

“I was hoping to find something there, but I didn’t know what to expect — I had gone down there because a friend got his truck stuck in the mud at the dump, and I helped him pull it out.

“Ten seconds after my good deed, I was rewarded. That bird was highest on my wish list to see and to photograph. They’re difficult to find and super skittish.”

Dr Mejías, a member of the Bermuda Audubon Society, said he had challenged himself to spot 200 species of birds on the island this year, and so far had made it to 191.

October is a peak month for bird migrations, he said, with the blackpoll warbler most commonly seen.

Other species, such as the palm warblers, pine warbler and yellow-rumped warbler, make a practice of trailing the island’s bluebirds, as they feed on the same insects.

“On average, we can get about 30 species of warblers every year, which is incredible,” Dr Mejías said. “Most come from North America, travelling at night to avoid predation.”

Some head south across the continental landmass, while others fly out off the Eastern Seaboard, making it likely for them to encounter Bermuda — and bringing excitement to the island’s birder community.

Dr Mejías added that the Say’s Phoebe had been spotted by Luke Foster, a teenage bird enthusiast.

“He found it and he is only 16, so he was not even born the last time that species was seen here.”