A rare
bird has been making itself at home in Weymouth - thousands of miles away from
its usual habitat.
A
Franklin's Gull, which breeds in northern USA and Canada, has joined flocks of
other gulls at Swannery car park next to Radipole Lake to the delight of many birdwatchers in
the area.
It
arrived in Weymouth on Monday and has been spotted around different areas of
the borough.
Daniel
Bartlett, of RSPB Radipole Lake, said: "The bird was probably caught up in
last weeks stormy weather, and may well have been blown here across the
Atlantic. It seems to spend its days out in Weymouth Bay looking for food, and
has been seen as far out as Portland Bill.
"Birdwatchers
have responded to its arrival, and have been gathering around the RSPB
Discovery Centre every afternoon hoping to see the bird. Gulls are often seen
in large numbers at the lake during winter afternoons. They come to wash the
salt water out of their feathers, before heading off to sea again at dusk, and
so the cycle continues."
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