LISTENING to the radio one morning this week, I was interested to hear that some people down in East Sussex had spotted in their garden what appeared to be a very small bird.

As the person went on to describe the creature I became more interested myself because I too had seen exactly what they described in my garden in Callow End only a few days ago. I was sure at the time that I should share this sighting with someone who knew about these things, but I unfortunately didn't know anyone.

The creature, which did not wait to be photographed, turned out to be the hummingbird hawk moth. I have a reference book of butterflies and insects and upon looking up this moth found that it comes up from the south of France where it is quite common. However, my book went on to say that only about 50 of these are recorded each year and although they can occur in several parts of Britain they are confined mostly to the south coast.

If you have ever seen a humming-bird, this creature acts exactly the same hence the name. It moves quickly from flower to flower and has a long proboscis that it pushes into the flower to get at the nectar, holding itself perfectly still hovering on wings that appear central to the body, but which in fact aren't, it is a replica of a hummingbird in miniature.

If you ever see it you will never forget it and I feel quite privileged to have seen one in my own back garden. Although it favours many flowers, mine preferred the good old Busy Lizzie flower of which there is at present abundance.

T W FISHER, Upper Ferry Lane, Callow End, Worcester.