A lonely rare duck is in a flap over Sussex, desperate to find his Valentine before the mating season starts in a few weeks.

The lovelorn North American ring-necked duck is thousands of miles from home.

What's more he has little chance of finding a mate as only six of his kind have been spotted in the county.

Bird experts say if he gets desperate he may have to go down-market and settle for a common British tufted duck.

But there could be problems with such an Anglo-American affair.

Mixed ducks sometimes find it difficult to find their true identity and end up flapping around for a mate because they are genetically weak.

The rare duck has been causing ripples of excitement among bird watchers after he was spotted at Barcombe Reservoir, near Lewes.

Only a few are sighted in the whole of the UK each year.

Scores of twitchers have been trying to catch a glimpse of the lovelorn duck, who has been seen making himself at home and diving on the water in the past few days.

Wardens at the reservoir, owned by the South East Water Company, have been enforcing a permit system for visitors.

The duck has a distinctive blue beak, black head and white lower face. He has a whitish ring around his neck, hence the name.

The rare visitor has been coming and going from the reservoir during the past few days, which has led to speculation he is searching for his elusive Valentine mate.

This isn't the first time Barcombe has become a haven for a lost rare bird.

Last October a pelican made a fleeting visiting to a large garden lake in the village after getting lost on a flight from North America.

Like the duck it was lonely and in search of a mate.