HUNDREDS of twitchers descended on a usually quiet village today (Monday, February 10), in the hope of spotting a rare bird.

Rumours of a myrtle warbler having been spotted in High Shincliffe, near Durham City, spread like wildfire.

One villager said: “There must have been 150 cars.”

The twitchers used Twitter to tweet pictures and comments.

One, Mark Stokeld, said: “Mega afternoon at Shincliffe today with good views of the Myrtle warbler.”

Liam Langley added: “Boom! Eventually got stunning views of the myrtle warbler at Shincliffe, a subtly beautiful bird!”

The myrtle warbler breeds across Canada and the north eastern USA.

It usually winters across the south eastern USA, Central America and the Caribbean, rarely travelling to western Europe and occasionally the UK.

- Did you see the myrtle warbler? Send your pictures to: newsdesk@nne.co.uk