Spoonbill
Length 80-90cm. Weight 1,300-2,000g.
Wingspan 120-135cm. A juvenile can be identified by its pink lore and bill, whilst adults have black patterned bills the tips of which change colour during the breeding season. The first five images were all taken at Le Teich where it seems relatively easy to get close to the birds. The scruffy, but very cute, juvenile below was in a ditch within yards of us.
The next picture, showing a flock of around 200 spoonbill, was taken on the Ebro Delta earlier this year.
Spoonbill were a common sight in Britain in medieval times but were yet another species hunted to extinction in this country. It is thought that there are currently around 80 spoonbill overwintering here with just 4 breeding pairs.
