Exotic, charismatic and pleasingly scarce to boot, the sight of a Hoopoe on a spring day in Britain and Ireland is always something to savour. This week has seen the first meaningful influx of these punk-crested beauties arriving on our shores, with upwards of 20 seen. Of those, the Portland bird appears to have been by far the most popular among our contributors, as the images below go to show.
Hoopoe, Portland, Dorset (Photo: Mark Wright)
Hoopoe, Portland, Dorset (Photo: Tony Hovell)
Hoopoe, Portland, Dorset (Photo: anon)
Hoopoe, Portland, Dorset (Photo: Brendan Sheils)
Hoopoe, Portland, Dorset (Photo: Chris Hooper)
Hoopoe, Soar, Devon (Photo: Alan Doidge)
And here's a bit of video footage to boot:
Hoopoe, Portland, Dorset (Video: Martin Cade)
