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MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Birders have flocked to Mossel Bay from as far as Gauteng since yesterday, 7 February to celebrate, according to birding experts, a most rare occasion.
This rare event constitutes the first ever sighting of a laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) in South Africa. The bird, named for its laugh-like call, is found in North and South America.
“This bird mostly migrates around the Gulf of Mexico,” explains local birdwatcher, Rudi Minnie. The bird was spotted by a bird watcher, Don Reid, who went for a swim at Santos Beach on Sunday, 6 February.
The first photograph of the gull was taken by Edwin Polden, yesterday morning.
“We contacted bird expert, Trevor Hardeker, who sensed that something truly unique had been seen. He asked us to photograph the bird in flight, specifically the upper side of the wings for identification purposes.”
The bird was then identified as the laughing gull.
Read more on sister publication, Mossel Bay Advertiser
The most rare sighting on South-African shores.
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