Twitchers gather around the Crooked Spire in Chesterfield for a glimpse of a rare bird.

The feathered visitor is the rarest bird the county has seen since an albatross in the fifties.

Bird watcher Roy Frost spotted the rare Crag Martin, which usually lives in Southern Europe, around the Chesterfield landmark on Sunday.

Roy, joint county bird recorder for Derbyshire, said the Crag Martin has never been spotted in Derbyshire before.

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Twitchers gather around the Crooked Spire in Chesterfield for a glimpse of a rare bird.

He said the bird has only been seen in the UK 13 times ever.

Roy, who has recently written a book called The Birds of Derbyshire, said: “You would normally see this bird in France, Spain, Italy and other places in Southern Europe.

“For it to be in Chesterfield is really exciting. It’s never been seen in Derbyshire before so a lot of people are going up to the Crooked Spire to see it for themselves.”

He added: “It’s difficult to say why this bird has come to Chesterfield. I can only guess that it’s been blown off course with the strong winds recently.

A rare Crag Martin has been spotted at the Crooked Spire, in Chesterfield. This is the first time the bird has ever been seen in Derbyshire, and is only the thirteenth time the rare bird has been spotted in the UK. Photo by Andy Deighton.

“Scores of birdwatchers from many parts of England have been to see it. This is the rarest bird in Derbyshire since an albatross was seen in the early 1950s.”

The Crag Martin looks like a brownish-grey Swallow and is from the Swallow family. The bird takes insects in flight.

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Twitchers gather around the Crooked Spire in Chesterfield for a glimpse of a rare bird.

Twitchers gather around the Crooked Spire in Chesterfield for a glimpse of a rare bird.

Twitchers gather around the Crooked Spire in Chesterfield for a glimpse of a rare bird.

Twitchers gather around the Crooked Spire in Chesterfield for a glimpse of a rare bird.