It was one of the more unusual discoveries for a lifeboat crew.
But on a call-out earlier this week, the Lowestoft RNLI Lifeboat crew had an unexpected visitor – when a tiny bird joined them and hitched a lift while out at sea.
The lifeboat was 20-miles offshore and searching for the source of an emergency beacon signal when the bird flew into the wheelhouse and landed on a crewman's head.
Coxswain John Fox said: 'We were so far out to sea it was a real surprise to see such a tiny bird.
'It was a really lovely little finch and we think that with the yellow markings it was probably a Goldcrest. But no sooner had it arrived – than it flew off again.'
The goldcrest bird – which is the smallest in Great Britain – was perched on the outside of the lifeboat for between five and 10 minutes, before spending a couple of minutes inside the lifeboat. It then headed outside again and flew off.
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