This fascinating photo shows a rare black swan swimming off the coast of Eastbourne

Gillian Nicol said she took the photo of the elusive bird, which is rarely seen in the UK, at about 11am off the coast near Meads.

She told this newspaper: “While wondering how and why a black swan was paddling in the sea, we met a gentleman who is a member of the Sussex Ornithological Society, who confirmed that it was indeed a black swan.”

Another reader said that a black swan had been seen at Princes Park this year and last year.

The British Trust for Ornithology has said on their website: “Striking large black waterbird that occasionally escapes from captivity and which now breeds regularly in the wild. This popular ornamental species, introduced from Australia, is occasionally encountered in the wild, mostly as single individuals but sometimes in small groups. The species favours rivers and freshwater lakes.”

The BTO said that males are slightly larger than females and both have mostly black plumage with a red bill and white flight feathers.

They added: “The Rare Breeding Birds Panel regularly receives double-figure records of breeding attempts from across the UK, and there is an established breeding population in east Norfolk, centred on the Broads.”