Keen photographer Graham Hobbs was delighted when he spotted an exotic bird in his front garden, more often seen in sunnier climes.

The pinkish-brown hoopoe was a more usual site in South Africa, where he lived some years ago, but he never expected to see one in Hamworthy, Poole.

“I was very excited to see it,” he said.

“I have said I would love to see one in this country, I never expected to do so. It’s a dream come true,” said Graham, 54, who lives in Symes Road.

His daughter Jessica, 12, a Lytchett Minster School pupil, was working at home on Wednesday when she spotted the mistle thrush size bird with its striking black and white wings, through the window.

“My wife is South African and I lived there for a few years. I instantly recognised it,” said the former freelance photographer.

He grabbed his camera and shot off a few frames through the window before a neighbour came out and the frightened crested bird flew to the other side of the garden.

Changing his lens to the 400mm one he bought to shoot wildlife in South Africa, he went to the front door and lay down and the hoopoe obligingly approached, enabling him to take this delightful shot.

See the shot full size in the Echo's Flickr group

“They don’t seem to be enormously scared birds,” he said. “They will let you get quite close before they fly away.”

He said: “It’s basically a rare passage migrant which would never deliberately come to England, on its way to Europe. It’s quite early in the year for them to be doing that. They sometimes get blown off course.”

There have been reports in the past week of a hoopoe seen in the area including at Turlin Moor.

“My wife Edna says getting a visit from a hoopoe is supposed to be lucky,” he added.