Rare Spoonbill bird spotted at reservoir

A rare bird that died out in the UK in the 17th Century has been spotted in Derbyshire.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) said the Spoonbill - a large white heron-like wading bird - was seen at Ogston Reservoir on 21 July.

The last nesting spoonbill was recorded in 1668 and it was not until 2010 that the first regular colony of breeding birds was established at Holkham Nature Reserve in Norfolk.

Nick Brown, wildlife enquiries officer at DWT, said he was "absolutely thrilled" to hear that the Spoonbill has been sighted again in the county.

It follows previous sightings of the Spoonbill in Derbyshire at Kings Newton in May, Carsington in 2023 and Willington Wetlands Nature Reserve in October 2022, the trust said.

“Only by creating more bigger, better and connected habitats for wildlife will we be able to encourage more species to return here", said Mr Brown.

"At Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, we’re excited to be working on an ambitious plan to halt and reverse declining native species abundance across the county, and we look forward to more Spoonbill sightings being recorded and seeing more species return to our landscape in the future.”

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