Rare bird evades bird spotters by quickly dying

A sighting of a rare red-flanked bluetail sent birdwatchers rushing to catch a glimpse of the little-seen bird.

Unfortunately, it dropped dead before most of them had a chance to unsheath their binoculars.

Twitchers from across the country were alerted by phone to the fact that the bird had been spotted in Easington, East Yorkshire.

But within two hours, a second text message had to be dispatched, saying the bird had been found dead.

One theory explaining its death is that the Bluetail - which normally spends its summers in Siberia - found the north-easterly Yorkshire wind too cold.