Grey-headed lapwing: Sighting in Northumberland is UK first

The grey-headed lapwing has only been recorded five times in Europe and western Asia in recent years

Dozens of birdwatchers have descended on a small fishing village after a bird usually found in East Asia was spotted.

The grey-headed lapwing, which normally spends winters in India before moving to breeding grounds in China and Japan, was first seen in Low Newton-by-the-Sea, Northumberland, on Monday.

There were no previous UK records of the bird, The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) said.

There have been five recent recorded sightings in Europe and western Asia.

Geoff Howarth, who got up at 02:45 BST to travel the 200 miles (321km) north from Lancashire, described seeing the bird as "very special".

Birdwatchers, including Geoff Howarth (left), have travelled hundreds of miles to see the bird

"We had decent views - distant but decent behind telescopes - and then as other people started arriving the bird took off and flew high northwards," he said.

"We all thought, 'that's it' - and then shortly afterwards we found it again at High Newton.

"It's very special - it's a first for Britain, they don't come any bigger than that and that's why everyone is so happy to see it."

The sighting, because of its rarity, has attracted many twitchers after word spread around the community.

The BTO, which keeps records and data on migration patterns and movements of birds in the UK, said it was "significant and exciting for birdwatchers".

A spokesperson said: "We have no other records of grey-headed lapwings in the UK.

"Whether it tells us about climate change we don't yet know, but I think it's probably just got lost."

Victor Thompson has welcomed the birdwatchers to his farm near Alnwick

Farmer Victor Thompson allowed birdwatchers on to his land at High Newton-by-the-Sea when the lapwing then landed at his farm.

"I've been speaking to some of them and [some have] come from Surrey," he said.

"Some lads travelled from Ayr in Scotland [but] they got to Glasgow and because the bird had moved, they started to drive home [until they heard it had been spotted again] and then came back again."

At the scene

Joanna Lonsdale, BBC Radio Newcastle reporter

About 100 twitchers have arrived in Low Newton-by-the-Sea this morning where the bird has been seen in a number of locations.

The bird is now in a field at a farm and clusters of people with specialist cameras are watching it from a number of points around the field with the permission of the farmer.

There's an excited atmosphere with many saying they think it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the bird.

The grey-headed lapwing does not seem to be in a hurry to leave Northumberland

Birdwatcher Tim Dean said he felt "privileged" to see the lapwing on Monday.

"It is a long way from home," he said.

"There have only been five previous records in the whole of the Western Palearctic with recent records in Holland, Norway, Turkey and Slovenia."

The sight has attracted many birdwatchers with telescopes tracking its movements