A Glossy Ibis in Cambridge

UPDATE: As of November 2021, 6 at or close to Berry Fen.

I think I’ve now seen six of the eight or so Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) that are in our locale at the moment. Two at RSPB Ouse Fen, three in Earith, and this one near The Cam in Chesterton. There are two more at RSPB Fen Drayton but my daily exercise has not coincided with theirs at that site. There are others further afield.

It is most likely that they are individuals that have flown in from a breeding ground in Southern Spain again to overwinter in East Anglia. Apparently, there was a pair in 2014 that built a nest in Lincolnshire, but didn’t breed. This kind of bird activity is occurring more commonly because of changing habitats and climate change.

The photo above is of a Glossy Ibis feeding on farmland adjacent to the river Cam in Chesterton, north of the city of Cambridge. It was no more than 40 metres away. Photographed with a Canon EOS 7d mark ii digital SLR fitted with a Sigma 150-600mm zoom lens. f/7, t 1/800s, ISO 400. The RAW image was imported with Rawtherapee and then post-processed with PaintShop Pro to crop and boost vibrancy and sharpness.