We were fortunate enough to see one of these birds in our Rowan trees by the playground. Some ornithologists took pictures as these birds are very rare and their appearance is very erratic.
The information below is taken from the RSPB site. Follow the link to their site to see some more pictures and facts.
Latin name: Bombycilla garrulus
Family: Waxwings (Bombycillidae)
The waxwing is a plump bird, which is slightly smaller than a starling. It has a prominent crest. It is reddish-brown with a black throat, a small black mask round its eye, yellow and white in the wings and a yellow-tipped tail. It does not breed in the UK, but is a winter visitor, in some years in larger numbers, called irruptions, when the population on its breeding grounds gets too big for the food available.
The first British arrivals each winter are usually seen on the east coast from Scotland to East Anglia, but birds move inland in search of food, increasing the chances of seeing one inland.
When to see them : October to March.
What they eat : Berries, particularly rowan and hawthorn, but also cotoneaster and rose.
The amazing thing is that during our winter there are apparently less than 100 individual birds who arrive in the UK. How lovely that it chose us!!
