Dorset records largest flock of spoonbills ever seen in Britain

The largest flock of spoonbills ever to be seen in Britain was sighted on the Brownsea Island Lagoon of Dorset last month.

The spoonbill is still rare in the UK, and is listed as Amber status of European conservation concern.

“To have 47 spoonbill in the harbour is a fantastic sight, and goes to show how successful their breeding colonies are doing elsewhere,” says Paul Morton from charity Birds of Poole Harbour.

“After looking at their colouring and from previous years’ data, we suspect they have come from Holland or Belgium. For around 50 years Poole Harbour has only ever had two to three spoonbills during the winter, but this last decade has seen numbers grow year on year as youngsters follow their parents back to their wintering quarters."

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