'Incredibly rare' gull spotted in Bolsover
The bonapartes gull was sighted by an eagle-eyed local birder Mark Beavers, at Carr Vale Nature reserve.
He said: "I noticed an interesting gull on the middle flash standing next to a black-headed gull, but clearly smaller and not a little gull.
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Hide Ad"I was chuffed with the pomerine skua that visited on the 17th (May) but this is infinitely better.”
Bonapartes gulls breed in Canada and Alaska and spend the winter in Southern Canada and America, so this one was certainly a long way from home.
The reserves mixture of open water, marsh, wet and dry grassland, scrub and trees attracts a rich variety of birds throughout the year.
More info here: www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/reserves/carr-vale-flash.