An extremely rare bird has been spotted at a reservoir in Cambridgeshire.
A seagull was seen at Grafham Water, near Huntingdon, on Tuesday.
The sea bird first appeared in the reservoir two years ago and was briefly sighted last summer. Seagulls are usually found in the southern hemisphere and coastal areas of West Africa.
Anglian Water manages the reservoir and a spokesperson said they were “delighted” by the sighting.
Matthew Rodgers, a birder since the 1970s, managed to photograph the gull on Tuesday.
“This bird was here two years ago and appeared briefly last year, just for one morning,” he said.
“We were hoping he might turn up again in Grafham and sure enough it happened.”
Adult gulls have black backs and wings and very little white in their flight feathers.
When the species was first spotted in Grafham Water in 2022, the British Bird Rarities Committee said it was “one of the most surprising records to reach Britain”.
Graphham water is The third largest reservoir in England and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Rodgers said he hopes more birders will visit the reservoir over the weekend.
“It’s very important that we keep trying to achieve it,” he added.
“It’s a hard place to see because it’s a vast reservoir, but I think there’s a good chance we’ll see it again.”
The British Bird Rarities Committee, one of two organizations that can verify identification, has been contacted for comment.
An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “We are delighted to hear that the gull has once again returned to Grafham Water this summer – especially as it is a rare species, rarely seen in the northern hemisphere.
“They are just one part of the incredible and diverse wildlife that appears throughout the different seasons in 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. ”
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