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An extremely rare bird has been spotted at a reservoir in Cambridgeshire.<\/p>\n
A kelp gull was seen at Grafham Water, near Huntingdon, on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The seabird first appeared at the reservoir two years ago<\/a> and was briefly spotted last summer. Kelp gulls are usually found in the southern hemisphere<\/a> and coastal areas of West Africa.<\/p>\n Anglian Water manages the reservoir and a spokesperson said it was “delighted” about the sighting.<\/p>\n Matthew Rodgers, a keen birdwatcher since the 1970s, managed to photograph the gull on Tuesday.<\/p>\n “This bird was actually here two years go and briefly turned up last year just for one morning,” he said.<\/p>\n “We were hoping it might call in again at Grafham and sure enough it has.”<\/p>\n Adult kelp gulls have black backs and wings, and very little white in the flight feathers.<\/p>\n When the species was first spotted at Grafham Water in 2022, the British Bird Rarities Committee said it was “one of the more amazing records to reach Britain”.<\/p>\n Grafham Water is England’s third largest reservoir<\/a> and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.<\/p>\n Mr Rodgers said he expected more birdwatchers to visit the reservoir at the weekend.<\/p>\n “It’s very important we keep trying to catch up with it,” he added.<\/p>\n “It’s a difficult place to see because it’s a vast reservoir but I think there’s a good chance I’ll see it again.”<\/p>\n The British Bird Rarities Committee, one of two organisations that can verify the identification, was approached for comment.<\/p>\n An Anglian Water spokesperson said: \u201cWe\u2019re delighted to learn that the kelp gull has returned once again to Grafham Water this summer \u2013 especially since it\u2019s a rare species not often spotted in the northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n “They\u2019re just one part of the amazing and diverse wildlife which appears throughout the different seasons at our park, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and we look forward to hearing from our visitors about the latest sightings of this rare breed.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Cambridgeshire news on <\/em>BBC Sounds<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Instagram<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>X<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/div>\nMore on this story<\/h2>\n
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