PICTURE: Rare bird turns up for a wade in South Lakeland water after Greece and Turkey turns too hot

Updated 9:09am Thursday 3rd July 2014 in NewsBy Katie Dickinson, Reporter

AN exotic visitor to the River Bela has been attracting birdwatchers from Cumbria, Lancashire and beyond.

The rare glossy ibis was first spotted just south of Milnthorpe on June 17 and has been sighted most days since.

An RSPB spokesperson said the wading bird was ‘a fairly rare sighting but not unheard of’ in the UK.

The glossy ibis would normally be in Greece or Turkey at this time of year after spending the winter in north Africa.

There have been around ten sightings across the UK so far this year.

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