Unfortunately I no longer have the message which forwarded a report of a
vagrant Bald Ibis on a beach in Southern England.
This species used to migrate to Europe including Switzerland and
Germany, after wintering in North Africa, but disappeared in the 18th
Century. A tiny population hangs on in Morocco. It would certainly be
remarkable if a Moroccan bird made it to England.
But in this case there is a nearer possible source, in a successful
captive colony established at the Jersey Zoo (Channel Islands). An
escapee might well make it across the Channel. I believe it landed in an
exhausted condition - as well as the difficulty of flying over water
with no thermals to help, it may not have been accustomed to sustained
flight over long distances.
Anthea Fleming
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
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