A flock of twitchers! Thousands of birdwatchers head to reservoir to catch first UK sighting of a rare cape gull with some travelling hours to get there
- The rare bird was spotted at Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire, over the weekend
- The cape gull, a member of the Kelp gull species, is typically from the Southern Hemisphere
- James Hanlon, 46, ventured four hours from his holiday in Yorkshire to see the ‘remarkable’ spectacle
- Experts believe the bird arrived a week ago but was overlooked due to its similarities to UK’s common species
Thousands of birdwatchers flocked to a reservoir in Cambridgeshire on Sunday to catch a rare sighting of a cape gull – the first of its kind to ever arrive in the UK.
The rare bird that has similarities to the British species seagulls, is typically found in the Southern Hemisphere. drew crowds of over a thousand to its spot at Grafham Water.
The cape gull, a member of the Kelp gull species, looks very similar to the UK’s own common species – so much so that the bird was actually believed to have arrived a week ago, but was overlooked by bird watchers who missed its subtle distinctions.
Thousands of birdwatchers flocked to a reservoir in Cambridgeshire on Sunday to catch a rare sighting of a cape gull – the first of its kind to ever arrive in the UK
The cape gull, a member of the Kelp gull species, looks very similar to the UK’s own common species – so much so that the bird was actually believed to have arrived a week ago, but was overlooked by bird watchers
The ‘exciting’ event marks the first cape gull that has been seen in the UK ever.
Wildlife photographer and ecologist James Hanlon, who captured shots of the bird on Monday, said the primary difference is the cape gull’s long blue and grey legs.
Mr Hanlon, who ventured four hours from his holiday in Yorkshire at the crack of dawn to see the ‘remarkable’ spectacle, said: ‘The cape gull is very similar to our common species of gulls.
‘The main difference are its legs, but the other dissimilarities are so subtle that you have to have an expert eye to pick up on them – they could only be spotted by a knowledgeable watcher.’
Mr Hanlon, 46, explained the bird has ‘long been predicted to make it to the UK one day – and now it has finally happened.’
The closest record of a cape gull sighting in Western Europe was in Paris in 1995 – which turned up at Paris Zoo, attracted by food scraps.
Mr Hanlon initially found out about the bird’s sighting from a Twitchers group on WhatsApp – a group of birdwatchers who collect sightings of rare birds.
He explained that a few have claimed to have spotted the three-year-old bird from as early as last Tuesday.
He said: ‘Since the bird’s discovery yesterday, a couple have come forward to admit they actually saw it last week, but they didn’t know what it was.
‘So it was present for a week undetected.
‘It was officially noted mid morning on Sunday, so I set off straight away – it’s a very big event.’
The cape gull is described as a sub-adult bird, due to the species reaching sexual maturity at the age of four.
The bird was seen grazing at the Grafham Water dam, a spot popular for fishermen.
Mr Hanlon explained: ‘Many fish are discarded along the dam so it’s a great spot for feeding.
‘Luckily for us, its location has allowed crowds to view the gull very closely.
‘Cape gulls have 11,000 breeding pairs in Sub-Saharan Africa on the coast and a few have been seen in Morocco, much further North.
‘Gulls are very capable and versed in long distance travel; they are ocean-going birds and can fly great distances.’
The sighting drew crowds of over a thousand, with keen locals showing up in the early morning and visitors from as far as Scotland arriving after the news spread throughout the country.
Mr Hanlon admits many birders are not interested in gulls. He said: ‘Lots of bird watchers do not like gulls because they are very tricky to identify.
‘But because of this one’s rarity, everyone from all over the UK came to see it.’
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