Lensman snaps a very rare visitor

Local amateur photographer Joe Devine capture this exotic bird near Inch Island in County Donegal recently.

A keen recreational snapper Mr Devine regularly visits the area due to its abundance of wildfowl - not least the large population of swans and geese that live in this part of the North West.

Inch Lake and Blanket Nook not far from the border at Londonderry are home to thousands of Mute, Whooper and Bewick Swans, as well as White Front, Greylag , Barnacle, Brent and Pink Footed geese and a range of other native fowl.

But a few weeks ago Mr Devine's head was turned by a less common dweller on these shores - Cygnus atratus - or the beautiful red-billed and ebony-feathered Black Swan most commonly found in the wetlands of Australia.

Mr Devine said he'd done a bit of research and discovered the birds come from the far side of the world and suggested these fully-fledged fowl had almost certainly flown the coop form either a private collection or a wildlife sanctuary.

"How they got here I don't know," said Mr Devine. "They are from the wetlands of Australia so they must have been transported and escaped from a sanctuary or somewhere like that."

The local photographer - a worker at Maydown engineering firm MPE - said Inch Lake and the neighbouring marshlands are a great spot for capturing local wildlife but the appearance of the Black Swans caused quite a stir.

"I'm in a group of local amateur photographers and its a very good spot for birds and wildlife generally but you had quite a few long lenses turning up when word got round about the Black Swans," he told the Sentinel.

Bird expert Stephanie Simof the RSPB said she believes the birds may be escapees from a private collection or sanctuary.

A native of Singapore where Black Swans are common she said she was surprised at their novelty for people in this part of the world when she first moved here.

"Black swans are not from here and I don't think they migrate at that distance. They are very common in Australia," she said.

"I come from Singapore myself and could not believe that people had not heard of Black Swans when I arrived here.

"It has probably 'escaped' from a collection, but I don't think they are in any danger of breeding and ousting the population of Mutes - who were also, incidentally, introduced way back in the 18th century and have done rather well for themselves," she explained.