Waxwings spotted early in season searching for berries

A charismatic bird that can get drunk on fermenting berries has made an early appearance on our shores.

Retiree Bob Jackson spotted a group of waxwings in Burnham Market at the end of October, the start of the season these winter visitors can be seen in the UK.

The plump birds have a reddish crest, back throat and yellow-tipped tail. They make an annual migration to the east of Britain from Scandinavia and Arctic Russia, where they breed.

Mr Jackson, 64, a long-time birder, said: "They come over in search of berries, and if they do eat berries that have started to ferment they get a bit tipsy.

"They're very striking birds and it's good to see them. You don't get to see them every year, it depends how lucky you are."

Waxwings can eat up to 1,000 berries a day, and have a preference for rowan, hawthorn, cotoneaster and rosehip berries.