The RSPB nature reserve at Loch Leven has been playing host to a rather unusual guest this summer.
He, or she, has been spotted wandering around the edges of the wetland pools, seemingly oblivious of the excitement of the watching visitors.
Described by one twitcher as a “big, black curlew”, the glossy ibis is a bizarre-looking bird.
Its most striking feature is a long, downward curved bill which it uses to probe through the water and mud looking for small animals, like insect larvae and worms, to eat.
Glossy ibises are usually found much further south in France and Spain though this individual was first spotted near Kinross in March where it took a liking to the corner of a flooded field.
As the weather got drier, it moved around the loch and is now visible most days on the RSPB nature reserve, from either the new heritage trail viewpoint or the Carden hide.
Miranda Shephard, community engagement officer at RSPB Loch Leven, who has been showing people the ibis, said: “That the bird has been hanging around all summer indicates that there is plenty of food for it at the reserve.
“This is fantastic news for an area that was once just farmland.”
