A rare great bustard has been spotted on farmland owned by The National Trust near Langton Matravers in south Purbeck, Dorset.
The visitor is one of a number released on Salisbury Plain as part of a high profile attempt to reintroduce the great bustard to Britain. The native population was hunted to extinction in the 1840s.
Salisbury Plain bustards have visited Dorset in the past since the project began in 2004 but sightings are rare. Andrew Taylor of the RSPB said the Purbeck visitor was a young female released in September in the latest phase of the 10-year project.
Bustards often head south for the winter and the hope is she will return to Wiltshire in the spring and eventually breed.
The Great Bustard Group is appealing for anyone who spots one of the birds to contact them on 01980 671466 or via the website http://greatbustard.org.
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