Wildlife boom as second rare bird arrives

11:20am Friday 16th May 2008

BIRD watchers are in for a real treat after a second rare bird has been spotted in the area.

Just days after a pair of Peregrine falcons were discovered nesting on top of Bolton Town Hall, a rare Great White Egret has been spotted at Pennington Flash in Leigh.

Twitchers can best catch a glimpse of the falcons from the car park on top of the Market Place shopping centre.

The third-floor car park, with a direct view of the town hall roof, is accessible by stairs or lift from the Market Place. Shopping centre manager, Rod Neasham, has welcomed bird watchers to the car park but has warned they must be careful.

He said: "People can always come up and look for themselves, but they have to be careful of the traffic.

"It's got a very clear view, and, presumably if you've got a pair of binoculars, you can see what you want.

"Any visitors are welcome, even if they're just coming to watch birds."

The Great White Egret, which has pure white plumage, was seen by eagle-eyed birdwatchers at Pennington Flash yesterday in what is only the third-ever sighting of the bird in Greater Manchester, and the first at the Flash.

Wigan leisure and culture trust senior ranger, Peter Alker, said: "Sightings of the Great White Egret are nationally rare and are usually in the South and East of England, so we are really excited for one to be paying us a visit."

The nearest breeding ground to the UK is the Netherlands and the slaughter of the bird for its plumes lead to the formation of the Society for the Protection of Birds in 1889 in Didsbury, Manchester.

In December, the sighting of a Cattle Egret at Pennington Flash was believed to be the first ever sighting of the bird in the Manchester area.