RARE birds have been spotted at a Dorset nature reserve.
Black-tailed godwits have been seen at RSPB Arne near Wareham.
They were captured in flight by photographer Stewart Anderson, also known as Stewart’s Photography, who told the Echo: “These black-tailed godwits were caught in flight from Arne, a little distant so this is a bit of a crop.
“I like the image with them seen against other birds in the background.”
The black-tailed godwit is a critically endangered wading bird that has suffered from dramatic declines.
It can most easily be spotted around the coast in winter and at inland wetlands when on migration.
RSPB Arne is home to more than 1,000 wintering black-tailed godwits, which travel to Dorset from Iceland.
They are viewable from Coombe Heath, in the Middlebeare Channel.
Black-tailed godwit in flight (Image: Stewart Anderson)
In these photos of the birds in flight, you can see the species’ black tail, white rump and broad, white wingbars and their feet sticking out well beyond their tail.
Their key features are long legs and grey-brown plumage with decorative black and white stripes across their wings. Typically they make a ‘kik’ or ‘kik-ki’ call when in their graceful flight.
You can see more photos like this and join the Echo’s Dorset Camera Club here.
The Wildlife Trust says: “A tall, elegant wader, the black-tailed godwit breeds in wet grasslands, and winters on coastal estuaries and marshes, and at inland shallow waters.
“A sociable bird, it forms large flocks when feeding, probing the mud with its bill for invertebrate-prey.
“Black-tailed godwits form monogamous pairs that last for years. Every spring, faithful couples will arrive at their breeding grounds within three days of each other, mate and raise their chicks together.”