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Seabird spotted in county for first time since 2007

Isaac AsheBBC News, Leicester
News imageGetty Images A little auk emerges from water.Getty Images
Little auks are only seen in the UK in wintertime, and usually only at the coast

A seabird has been spotted in Leicestershire for the first time since 2007.

A little auk was caught on camera at Leicester Cathedral on Monday - but it was being carried in the beak of one of the city's resident peregrine falcons.

According to the RSPB, small numbers of little auks visit waters around the UK in winter.

Leicester and Rutland Ornithological Society (LROS) said the bird was a "rare vagrant to the county" with the last recorded sightings being in 2007 and 1997.

News imageLROS A peregrine falcon in a nest with a black and white seabird in its right talonLROS
Cameras inside the steeple nest caught the rare sighting of the bird

LROS said a second little auk was spotted "flying around" at nearby Rutland Water on Tuesday.

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