A FEW fortunate birdwatchers were treated to rare sighting of a seldom- seen visitor.

Staff at RSPB Minsmere were as shocked as visitors to see an adult greater flamingo on a fleeting tour of the area.

The bird had already dropped in at two other RSPB nature reserves across the East Anglia before touching down in the waters of Minsmere.

Following a visit to north Norfolk’s Titchwell Marsh, the flamingo continued its East Anglian outing, stopping off at the Ouse Washes before ending up in Suffolk.

The bird arrived in the area last Friday, and following further sightings at Minsmere this week, there is a chance it continues to be resident on the reserve.

Rachael Murray, RSPB media officer for the Eastern Region said: “It must have been quite a spectacle to see this graceful, pink bird paddling through our sun-kissed reserves over the past few days.

“It is particularly pleasing that our special visitor selected to visit not one, but three RSPB reserves during its trip to the region.”

The long-legged bird has been frequenting a secluded area of Minsmere, in a freshwater mere in a reedbed.

With the warm weather from the Mediterranean, RSPB wardens felt there was a possibility the bird could be wild.

But following further investigations, including the identification of a numbered blue ring on the bird’s right leg, it was established that the flamingo had escaped from Marwell Zoo in Hampshire last year.