Not quite Hattersley but close enough. The bird was seen perched on a tree stump next to a dip with shrubs around it, possibly a pond, in a field south of Matley Lane not far from The Rising Moon pub. It then flew north, crossing the lane.
My job is merely to put the information out there Roger; I keep any ideas on origins to myself . That said, it was always worth seeing merely as a fine looking bird if nothing else.
I've also posted Sacred Ibis, Harris Hawk, Ringed Teal and once, a parrot, on this forum too though
HaHaHa ! Now come on Ian you can't blame us lot ........ you set the snowball rolling.
A Bald Ibis (the previously wandering bord from Cheshire?) has been present for about two weeks on fields at Ken Ward Sports Centre in Hattersley, Hyde, off West Hattersley Road. Still present at 4:10pm today
Roger
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Blessed is the man who expecteth little reward ..... for he shall seldom be disappointed.
Blackbrook is a few miles NW of Stoke, so it's not too far from home! Here's one of my better shots of the Ibis >> http://www.flickr.com/photos/garryshepperd/7585049416/in/photostream
I'm rather annoyed, I gave permission to the MEN to publish my picture and NOT the Daily Mirror. On enquiring, they told me they pay the Manchester Evening News a fee for such images to publish. Robbery?
I gave my permission to The Reporter Group to publish my pictures..... then they didn't! Gutted!
I'm rather annoyed, I gave permission to the MEN to publish my picture and NOT the Daily Mirror. On enquiring, they told me they pay the Manchester Evening News a fee for such images to publish. Robbery?
After a photoshoot in Los Angeles, and jetting to London for more newspaper interviews!
According to the The International Union for the Conservation of Nature website vagrancy has occurred in the Republic of Cape Verde, Mali, Somalia, Western Sahara, Germany, Serbia, Portugal & Spain
Natural vagrancy defo remote, but with an un-ringed bird, could not definately be ruled out.........this bird probably offers better insurance than Barclays at the moment
The wider picture of Northern Bald Ibis global conservation awareness has defo been promoted a little more by "Theo" & from my experiences yesterday this bird is certainly becoming a local celebrity
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Being unringed has less bearing on it's escapee likelihood than you might think I'm afraid. I've gone into very (very) detailed research about a couple of similar species which if it proved one thing, is that we have less idea what is being kept in captivity in the UK than you might think and similarly, less than you might think are ever ringed.
Occurrences of Slender-billed Curlew and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater have no real relevance in proving any potential vagrancy, which must surely be so remote, especially against the escape factor, that its no surprise that the hoards of British elite twitchers are not descending on Hattersley.
Note that one at Sandbach Flashes back in September 2011 was 'unringed and fully winged' too
The Hattersley bird appears to be un-ringed, if this is the case I would guess that my preliminary research suggests that it is either
a) a captive bird from a UK or European zoo/collection that has not been ringed & has escaped
b) a re-introduction scheme bird that has not been ringed (this seems very unlikely), or possibly an un-ringed offspring of re-introduction scheme birds
c) a wild bird from the Moroccan population (all the photos I have seen of these are of un-ringed birds)
d) a bird that has been ringed & the ring/s have come off
The safe money is on a zoo/collection escapee, but if it is un-ringed perhaps that increases the chances of genuine vagrancy a little (a la Slender-billed Curlew, White-crowned Black Wheatear, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater)
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It is normal practice for zoos to ring most birds for identification purposes. This is essential for the maintenance of veterinary and breeding records. It is not a legal requirement that animals should be marked but there is a requirement to keep records and obviously this is not possible if individuals cannot be distinguished from each other. Zoos sometimes double ring one ring has a number and the other indicates the sex (depending on which leg is ringed)
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Was thinking of pooping up to Hattersley,to have a quick look at the said bird,however my missus doesn't seem too keen.... she's got a bit of a phobia about bald ibises,since one of the captive specimens at Pensthorpe literally covered her in foul smelling "ibis pooh",earlier this year!
I have posted a photo of said birdy on Flickr, I managed to get a few shots of it on my neighbours roof yesterday morning. Unfortunately I am unable to post a link. If you want to search for it on Flickr, my screen name is James Kelday.
This is what fascinates me about this hobby...the intrigue, the doubts, the debates. Your head says its an escapee, but your heart wants it to be for real., yet you know you have to go & see it, just to satisfy your curiousity.
Was taking to a friend recently who said that he had lost interest in birding in this country, yet he's making plans to visit one of the less salubrious areas of Tameside over the weekend...just in case !
- CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) list NBI as Appendix I (species threatened with extinction & trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances)
PS Just for the record, I haven't got an unhealthy obsession or a job as a wildlife detective, I have to learn all this type of stuff for my University degree course
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For info on the Austrian Waldrapp-Projekt have a look at the documentary, "Return of the Waldrapp" that I made back in 2003/2004 It's in 4 parts in the "Uploaded videos" section, and also listed in the "Worldwide Conservation Issues" section.
Un-ringed, fully-winged Northern Bald Ibis (of unknown origin), Hattersley, is elusive but favoured feeding area is the lush lower terrace field adjacent to the Ken Ward Leisure Centre, also gets on the house rooves
Directions: From M67 take j4 onto A560 south, then right onto Underwood Road, then left onto West Hattersley Road, & view the fields & rooftops adjacent to the Leisure Centre
Quality meeting Roger Baker & John Rayner, big thanks to the Leisure Centre staff for hospitality
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The bird had taken flight about 11.00 circling infront of Werneth Low en-route to Damascus . A tractor mounted chemical sprayer was entering its favoured field at 11.30 when I left.
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Was just beginning to think that the bird had flown when it popped its head up out of a ditch far side of the playing field (in front of a large greenhouse frame).
Harassed by a Crow and several Magpies it took off and circled a couple of times before dropping down into some rough land behind the houses.
Roger.
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Blessed is the man who expecteth little reward ..... for he shall seldom be disappointed.
Despite its very dubious origins, certainly a bird worth seeing and upon leaving it this evening it was perched on the apex of a house, after a local wanting a photograph flushed it. A local Crow also took exception to it!
As soon as the locals saw us arrive they were keen to tell us the bird has been present for around two weeks.
I believe there will be a piece about it in the Tameside Advertiser next week.
Just shows what can be missed on an unchecked playing field in Hattersley