The bird is believed to be part of 24
which were released in West Sussex last week
12:59, 30 AUG 2019
A rare white stork has been spotted
in Cornwall.
The incredible pictures were taken by
Nathaniel Barry, a 23-year-old amateur wildlife photographer from the Perranporth area.
He spotted the majestic birds on
Tuesday (August 27) at Hayle Estuary.
He said: "I had heard that there
had been releases by a Sussex organisation.
"We were at Hayle Estuary, at a
place called Ryan's Field. Suddenly all the birds decided to take off."
That's when Nathaniel saw a white stork
for the first time in his life.
"The culprit arrived," he
wrote on his Nathaniel
Barry Photography Facebook page.
"With most of the estuary birds
never seeing a white stork before, they weren't taking any chances!
"Why would you? Seven feet
wingspan, 4ft in height... The previous largest bird there was a grey heron.
But after the stork arrived I didn't see the heron return for the next four
hours I was there!"
A total of 24 juvenile white storks
were released on Monday, August 12, at the Knepp rewilding project in West
Sussex.
There has since been reported sightings
at Drift Reservoir and other spots in Cornwall.
It was part of The White Stork Project,
a pioneering partnership of private landowners and nature conservation
charities, which aims to restore a population of at least 50 breeding pairs in
Southern England by 2030 through a phased release programme over the next five
years.
According to participant Durrell, all
of the storks that are part of the project have unique coloured rings on their
legs, so anyone who spots a stork in the British countryside can report their
sightings on the
project website.
This information will help scientists
to understand the movements of the birds.
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