Waxwing

Only one topic of conversation today.  The arrival of several Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus), those wonderful, colourful, acrobatic and simply fabulous birds from Northern Europe.

I have been keeping an eye open on the 'net' over the past few days for reported sightings in the hope that we may be lucky enough to see some again this year, but I wasn't really expecting to just 'stumble' across them this morning.

And yet, there they were.  A group of about a dozen were twittering their silvery trill in the top of a poplar on our way to Straw's Bridge.  What a delightful sight - and sound - they made on an otherwise dull day.

Hopefully some better pictures will be forthcoming over the Winter as, because the Waxwings stayed frustratingly high in the trees, these are a little disappointing.  Another larger flock were seen later when we got home and I was in the garden.  Some thirty or more flew over head and into the trees beyond the estate, so it looks like we may have lots to look at in the coming weeks.