THE first bearded vulture ever seen in the UK has been spotted near South Brent.

The enormous bird of prey was first sighted in Gwent on May 12 before being seen again by South Brent birdwatcher Barrie Whitehall north west of Shipley Bridge on Monday.

Barrie, who is involved with the three-year South Brent Bird Survey told BBC Radio Devon he was out on the moors on Monday when he was astonished to see the creature overhead. An experienced birder, Barrie recognised the vulture – also known as a lammergeier - from a trip to the Himalayas in India in 1979.

Barry told interviewers the bird came as close as two or three hundred metres, and circled above him. He could see the vulture’s head turning from side to side as it scanned the ground for carcases, and was disappointed he had no camera.

Barry said that local birdwatchers running the survey have a list of birds they are likely to spot, and a lammergeier was certainly not on it. In fact, he said, the chance of seeing one would have got longer odds than Leicester winning the Premiership.

Birdwatchers across the South Hams have subsequently been out in force to try to spot the rare creature, but as of Wednesday there had been no other confirmed sightings.