Hundreds descended on a nature reserve in Northumberland on Bank Holiday Monday after a rare bird was spotted in the UK for the first time ever.
The grey headed lapwing, which is usually between 34 and 37cm long and has a grey head and neck, darker grey breast, white belly and black tail, was spotted on Monday at Low Newton by the Sea by local birder Gary Woodburn. Within minutes of posting his find on a Northumberland birdwatching group, the news had gone national and enthusiasts and avid twitchers started to travel to the North East from all over the country.
It is estimated that between 800 and 1,000 people in total came in search of the grey-headed lapwing, which would usually be nesting in China and Japan at this time of year. The birds spend winter in southeast Asia, and yesterday's sighting is only the fourth record of the bird in the Palearctic realm, one of eight biogeographical section that the world is split into - this one covering Europe, some of North Africa and the Middle East.
