I was lucky enough to get the Black Stork as a garden tick as it flew east over Colwyn Bay! I would think it was the same bird over Heald Green. Hope it gets relocated somewhere more stationary.
I haven't recorded this as an official sighting because it is so unlikely but I remain 95% sure that's what I saw. Tim Mason.
Hi Tim,
As Craig mentions it looks as though a Black Stork has been in the NW for a couple of days at least. Seen flying east yesterday over Deganwy - Old Colwyn - Colwyn Bay yesterday evening. A possible sighting near Holmes Chapel this morning then one east over Heald Green at 17.15 this afternoon. There appears to be a second bird in Lincolnshire as well.
I was travelling up Beech Hill Avenue in Wigan on Saturday afternoon 17th May 2014. My wife was driving so I got a decent view when I saw soaring about 200 ft above me what initially looked like a heron. As I got closer, it looked bigger than a heron and clearly had black wings and a white breast with long legs trailing. I looked it up in my guide when I got hame and, incredibly, it looked like a black stork, surely not?!! I read that they are occasional very rare visitors to our shores and usually in May. I haven't recorded this as an official sighting because it is so unlikely but I remain 95% sure that's what I saw. Tim Mason.
