A black stork was sighted here by our visitors around 1pm this afternoon and again at Dungeness Point. The black stork is not a usual visitor to the UK and normally migrates to the mid and eastern European continent to breed in the summer, flying back to Africa in the winter.
They live in habitats of swampy forests and make nests high in tree crowns. They are approximately 100cm in height and resemble the white stork in shape. They have a black head, neck, breast and back with a metallic green shimmer. They have white 'triangles on their under-wings and white bellies. The adults have red legs and a red bill with a red ring around their eyes whereas the juveniles are grey-green.
It was absolutely fantastic to hear that this had been spotted today here on the reserve, and I'm sure that's added a big tick to some bird watchers lists!!