Saltcoats beach had an unusual visitor at the weekend – an Australian black swan.

Jim Waugh posted photographs to Facebook of the rare bird yesterday (Sunday, May 20).

He said: “Pleased that I've been lucky enough to see one in the wild. A very rare sight here – only four others have ever been reported as living in the wild in Scotland.

“They're native to Australia. This one must have escaped from a zoo or private collection.”

Black swans are common in the wetlands of southwestern and eastern Australia and adjacent coastal islands. They were introduced to other countries as ornamental birds in the 1800s but many have escaped and formed stable populations. 

There is a small population of black swans living on the River Thames in London.