A SECOND rare bird has been seen flying in the skies over County Durham.

The latest sighting of a red kite was in Newton Aycliffe.

The bird was recognised after Yvonne Colley, of Newton Aycliffe, read in The Northern Echo about a red kite which had been spotted in the hills over Barnard Castle.

Mrs Colley saw the bird after it flew into her garden and landed on her fence.

She said: "We didn't know what it was, when we saw its beak we thought it might be a kestrel or hawk or something.

"It was only then, when I read about the kite in the paper and saw the picture that I realised what it was. I'm so excited to see something like that."

The kite, which was spotted in Teesdale, had been nicknamed The Wanderer and was one of 20 tagged birds which were released near Gateshead in a scheme to encourage the rare birds to settle in different parts of England.

Ken Sanderson, a retired engineer from Barnard Castle, is a volunteer with the RSPB who has been keeping tracks on The Wanderer.

He uses a wireless receiver to pick up a signal emitted from a transmitter on the bird's back.

He says the kite spotted by Mrs Colley is unlikely to be the same bird.

Mr Sanderson said: "I don't think it's The Wanderer, I've been tracking that one and he hasn't moved from this area. Although he might go further lowland when the weather hardens.

"Another bird has been seen in the Brancepeth area so it could well be that one. There's also been some displaced migrant birds which have been making their way down the eastern side of the county, which have probably come from Scandinavia."