I saw my first ever Glossy Ibis back in 1989 at the RSPB's reserve at Fairburn Ings in Yorkshire. It was a beautiful sunny day in late May and the bird in its glossy breeding plumage fed in a shallow reed-fringed pool, unconcerned by the large group of admirers close by. My son wasn't yet one year old and a sudden breeze sent the plastic windmill attached to his pushchair spinning wildly; so much so that I thought it would scare the ibis! Luckily it wasn't bothered by the whirring of the brightly-coloured plastic blades.
This scene is in total contrast to the four Glossy Ibises that I photographed last Sunday on boggy windswept moorland north of Bolton. It was a cold, grey rainy day and initially we struggled to find the birds until one decided to fly out of the dense rush, thereby revealing the location of the other three birds. Despite the weather, and the fact that the birds where in winter/juvenile plumage, it was fabulous to see a flock of these Mediterranean wanderers in the northwest. I hope they stay then hopefully I can return and photograph them in more favourable weather conditions.
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