In pictures: Spoonbills at Marshside

Quad-panel collage showing white egret in flight against a blue sky and a white heron wading in shallow water at right.

Spoonbills created some interest for local nature-lovers recently at Marshside in Southport.

They bred regularly in England up until the 17th century. However, they became absent as breeders for over 350 years. Nevertheless, the increasing regularity of sightings at Marshside echoes the growing UK population of this beautiful species.