TWITCHERS from across the country flocked to the Christchurch area this week in hot pursuit of a rare bird.

Following reported sightings of a white stork on the marshes between Winkton and Sopley at least 100 bird enthusiasts jumped into their cars and rushed to the scene to catch a glimpse of the elusive bird.

The white stork - which breeds on mainland Europe and only makes three or four appearances in this country a year - bedded down in Sopley for at least three days.

News spread fast to ruffle excited feathers and soon the tiny village was besieged with excited twitchers.

One such twitcher was Paul Brewster who put out the call on his bird watch hot line to spread the news across the country.

He said: "I've come down from Cheshire and put the news out on my recorded phone line, Bird Call.

"Over the last three days at least 100 people have come down to see the stork. The stork does migrate to this country and we get about three or four reported sightings a year, but it is rare for it to stay in the same place for a few days."

The white stork is a migratory species found in the marshlands, grassy plains and rooftops in Europe, Asia and Africa.

They are regarded as a symbol of good luck to people in central and western Europe.

The transformation of the environment especially by excessive intensification of agriculture has resulted in a decline of stork populations, and even extinction in some countries.