THOUSANDS of visitors are expected to descend on a tiny North-East village this weekend to catch a rare glimpse of a pair of breeding birds.

Bird-watching enthusiasts, known as twitchers, will be joined by other members of the public at a small farm near Bishop Middleham, County Durham.

All will be hoping to catch sight of a pair of colourful bee-eaters, which have made history by becoming the first to breed in the UK for almost 50 years.

Every effort is being made to ensure that people get as good a view as possible of the birds, with top-of-the range telescopes provided by Swarovski and possibly even a video link to the hidden nest.

David Giles, an RSPB volunteer warden who has travelled from Shropshire to help out, said: "We want to get as many members of the general public as possible to have a look.

"We are trying to make it as accessible as we can, so people can get a good view of the birds and appreciate their beauty."

The birds have already created a stir in the bird-watching world, with visitors from as far away as Poland, the US and even Australia.

Kevin Spindloe, warden at the Durham Wildlife Trust-managed site, said: "People are amazed to see that the birds are so colourful."

Officials estimate that up to 3,000 people could make a beeline for the farm this weekend.

Farmers Stuart and Daphne Anderson have been delighted to see so many visitors, especially after the problems associated with last year's foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Mrs Anderson said: "It's been lovely and something of a carnival atmosphere. We haven't been out for a year, but this year of course we've had all of these people and we're quite enjoying it because everybody's happy and jolly."