A BIRD last recorded in Surrey in 1833 brought ornithologists flocking to Frensham with binoculars and long lenses last weekend.

The glossy ibis, a dark-coloured wading bird with a distinctive long curved bill, is a very rare visitor the UK, preferring the warmer climes of the Mediterranean, North America, Africa, Asia and Australia though its numbers are in decline.

It was first spotted last Thursday by Frensham man Andy Barker, a birdwatcher and RSPB volunteer, on the flooded meadows off Pitt Lane and was still obliging enthusiasts with sightings on Tuesday.

For full story, see this week's Farnham Herald.