A nature reserve near Pijnacker, a village between Rotterdam and The Hague, has become a temporary home to a small group of flamingos.

Walkers spotted the birds on Tuesday and since then birdwatchers from all over the country have descended on the area to photograph the rare guests.

‘This is very, very unusual for the region. In all my time recording animal species here I have never seen anything like it,’ warden Cor Noorman told local broadcaster Omroep West.

Noorman said the animals are not escapees from zoos. ‘There are six Chilean flamingos and one European flamingo and they probably came here from a roosting place near Germany.’

Noorman said the birds may not stay for very long. ‘They could be elsewhere tomorrow. We have to enjoy them while we can.’

The birds meanwhile have not been frightened off by the number of twitchers hoping for a good shot. ‘They photograph well,’ one of them told the broadcaster. ‘You can find flamingos in the Algarve but they are shy and fly off. These bird are just quietly going about their business of finding food and don’t mind us at all.’

In 2015, a colony of about 50 flamingos moved into the Grevelingenmeer in Zeeland for the winter rather than moving on to warmer climes in Africa.