Walker captures spectacular new footage of bearded vulture flying in Peak District

Spectacular footage has emerged of a bearded vulture flying over the Peak District.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The giant bird was videoed near the Derbyshire town of Buxton by Trevor Pask, just days after it had been seen near Sheffield.

Bearded vultures are more commonly found in mountain ranges on the continent like the Alps and the Pyrenees, with this sighting believed to be only the second ever in the UK.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

So far the bearded vulture has been seen in the West Midlands and Derbyshire, before it roosted on Howden Moors near Sheffield.

The bearded vulture has been seen roosting on moorland in the Peak District (photo: Barry Reid).The bearded vulture has been seen roosting on moorland in the Peak District (photo: Barry Reid).
The bearded vulture has been seen roosting on moorland in the Peak District (photo: Barry Reid).

There it was photographed thousands of times by birdwatchers eager to get a glimpse of the unusual visitor.

One, William Bowell, a retail manager who watches and photographs birds as a hobby, said it was ‘a truly magnificent sight’.

He said he had told of the bearded vulture's location by another bird watcher, then walked for two hours to get to the remote location.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"He spotted it on Friday night so I went down on Saturday morning. I missed it by about 20 minutes, and went back on Sunday morning. I left home at half three in the morning," said Mr Bowell, who lives in south Lincolnshire.

"They were sublime views, I just never expected it. When we got there after missing it on Saturday it was elation.

"I never expected to get anything like those views, it was mind-blowing. Quite unexpected and quite remarkable."

The bird is thought to have been wild-born from a population that was reintroduced into the wild in the Pyrenees.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Bowell said he will not attempt to photograph the bird again while it stays in the area.

"I just don't think I'll be able to repeat it, so unless it roosts somewhere a bit more accessible... I'll wait for the next rare bird to appear," he said.

The bearded vulture has been classified by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as being near threatened.

The bird is also sometimes called a lammergeier, due to its reputation for killing lambs – a reputation which led to the vulture being poisoned to near extinction in Europe.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust said they hoped the arrival could be the catalyst for more rare birds of prey to be spotted in the UK.

Editor's message: Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues. The Star is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. You can subscribe here www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions for unlimited access to Sheffield news and information online. Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.