A rare and protected black swan has been spotted among the birds congregating on Marine Lake in Southport.
The rare sighting is made even more incredible by the fact there are thought to only be under 40 black swans living in the wilds of the UK, with the rest in captivity.
The species, which originated in Australia, is common in wildlife parks in the UK, but is rarely sighted in the wild.
The sighting is now set to attract hundreds of avid ornithologists keen to get a close up look at the rare swan.