A GREAT White Egret, a rare annual visitor to the UK, flew into the region today, Monday, May 27m in search of a mate.

The all-white heron which winters in Africa and the Mediterranean, homed in on the petro-chemical complex of Seal Sands, near Billingham, where it appeared settled catching fish in the necklace of small pools which lie between the refineries and brinefields.

The bird's beak and legs change colour in the breeding season.