Seen from a distance, they could possibly be mistaken for starlings. Here two starlings had flown in to join them. The starlings are the top and bottom birds of the middle three...I think! And that could just be another on the left.

Waxwings love to feed on berries, particularly cotoneaster and pyracantha.

As our berries ran out, the waxwings had to hunt for them on the ground. This bird shows the bright colours of wings and tail, especially the red waxy ends to some of the wing feathers, which give the bird its name

The waxwing is easily recognised by its conspicuous crest. The strong black facial pattern gives the bird a rather cross expression.

Waxwings live in Scandinavia and are rarely seen in Britain. But if there is a shortage of berries at home they can arrive in Britain in great numbers - referred to as an "irruption". This seems to occur at approximately five-year intervals, and their visits to our garden in 1996 and 2001 seem to reflect this.