Photographer spots big flock of Glossy Ibis

Photographer spots big flock of Glossy Ibis

A photographer has captured the stunning spectacle of the second largest flock of Glossy Ibis ever to be spotted in the UK.

Chris Townsend encountered 20 of the wading birds while he was out walking by the River Otter, in East Devon. Of those, six were tagged to show they had come from a flock in Spain.

But the graceful creatures seemed to want a break in the cooler Westcountry, as they migrate to sub-Saharan Africa from the Mediterranean.

The birds are not regular visitors to the UK, but the Glossy has been reported a number of times, as a "stray" from southern Europe.

Over the past few years, the numbers spotted have increased, leading some experts to predict that global warming means it is only a matter of time before they breed on these shores.

Blogger Charlie Fleming spotted the Ibis near the cricket field in Budleigh Salterton a week ago, and said they appeared to be young birds who had been blown off course. "Quite what they are going to do now is a mystery, I should imagine that when it gets a bit colder they will perhaps 'come to their senses' and then fly south again and hopefully this time finish up in Africa which is where they should be."