Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - Summer 1992
P Sperinck

Waxwings are one of the more exciting birds the winter bird watcher can find, as they possess attractive plumage and are often ridiculously tame. They are of but very irregular occurrence - especially in western Britain, with most sightings being in "irruption- years when large influxes of birds fly south-westwards to this country when the berry crop fails in their Taiga breeding grounds of northern Europe. As by winter the hedgerow berry crops of hawthorn and other shrubs in the countryside have been eaten by thrushes and blackbirds, waxwings regularly occur in gardens - where they feast on cotnneaster or holly berries.

A mid-winter bird briefly adorned such a shrub in the front garden of Llanelli  Naturalists members Cecil and Menai Street in Penyfan, but it had moved on by the time that summoned local birders had arrived. Then, on 4 March, another was spotted in the rear land of Ropewalk Road, Morfa, Llanelli by Paul Sperinck who took the photo reproduced here. This time several of us managed to obtain close-up views (it would perch nonchalantly on top of a telegraph post with us standing below). Unfortunately, our esteemed Bird Recorder, Rob Hunt, who manages to see most local rarities, also missed this one!