A SPARROWHAWK has put in a rare appearance in a North-East garden.

The bird was spotted by photo-journalist Gavin Engelbrecht, of The Northern Echo, in his garden in Whickham, Gateshead.

He said: "I could not believe my eyes. I am more used to enjoying watching a family of blue tits that visit regularly. Needless to say, there were none there right then."

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds North-East spokesman David Hirst said: "It is a very rare sight.

"They are extremely secretive birds and to see one in the garden is unusual - an exciting addition to garden wildlife.

"If people do see them it is if they have flown accidentally into a patio window or been hit by a car."

Mr Hirst said the sparrowhawk might have bred locally or moved into town because of the weather. Or it could have migrated from the continent.

He said: "The bird could have been a juvenile, and therefore less timid or more desperate for food.

"Sparrowhawks have had mixed fortunes in this country. In the 1950s and 1960s they were virtually extinct in many parts of the country because of the use of DDT which affects them especially.

"Their numbers are increasing to the pre-DDT levels with up to 32,000 breeding pairs countrywide. But their numbers are believed to be dropping for no known reason."

Sparrowhawks, which feed exclusively on other birds, usually live for less than three years, with up to two-thirds dying before they are one year old.