A pelican has been spotted hunting for fish near Coney Island in Hamilton Parish.

The immature brown pelican, a rare visitor to Bermuda, may have been blown off course by Hurricane Sandy two weeks ago.

Although still young, the bird is around four feet long with a six-foot wingspan. It was photographed by Andrew Dobson of the Bermuda Audubon Society, who believes only four of the birds have been recorded in Bermuda during the past ten years.

“Its range in the Atlantic Ocean is along the coast from North Carolina to Venezuela,” he said. “Pelican populations are adversely affected by four main factors. One is the declining supplies of fish, through overfishing or water pollution.”

Mr Dobson said other factors were the destruction of habitat, the direct effects of human activity such as hunting, entanglement in fishing lines and hooks, and the presence of pollutants such as DDT, although this has become less of a factor since its use was restricted in the US.

He added that other noteworthy seabird sightings in the past few weeks around Bermuda have included frigatebirds, gulls and terns.