Spring migrants - spoonbill

Spoonbill by Ray Mathias

Spring migrants are passing through and dropping in at quite a pace now.  This spoonbill was on site for two days this week resting and feeding up on our wetlands.  Its distinctive flattened out bill with a rounded end is where is gets its name from and makes it hard to confuse with other species.

The pools of water on the reserve attract a wide range of small to medium sized wading birds like ruff, dunlin, ringed plover, common sandpiper, green sandpiper and greenshank at this time of year.  As well as larger wading birds like the spoonbill, our regular great white egrets and even perhaps the cattle egret that has been reported along the Ouse Washes recently.

Footage by: Ray Mathias & Roger Rawson
Edited by: Bob Ellis

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