Michael Krause from the Great Ouse Valley Trust, explains why nature lovers are in a frenzy.

There’s an invasion underway and it’s creating quite a storm, not just with birdwatchers and nature lovers, but also with anyone who enjoys something unusual and beautiful.

Every winter, a few people see something special - one of the most stunning small birds found in the UK - Bohemian Waxwings. Some years there is a huge influx. This is one of these winters.

The Waxwing is about the size of a starling with a reddish-brown body. It has a black mask round its eyes, a black throat and, most distinctively, a prominent crest.

This is made up of long feathers sticking up, or back from, its head, usually visible without using binoculars. Its tail has a bright yellow tip and the black-and-white wings feature patches of yellow and a dab of red. They look like the spots of sealing wax used on letters for centuries, and they give the Waxwing its name.

 Pictures and reports of locations can be found in hundreds of accounts on all platforms; there are even groups dedicated to Waxwings. 

After breeding in Scandinavia and Russia, Waxwings move away from their nesting sites in forests, looking for food – fruit and berries. When they’ve exhausted one source, they’ll move south and west, in search of more.

When food is in short supply, thousands fly across the North Sea, then spread inland from the East Coast and search for berries, especially Rowan, or Mountain Ash.

Can you spot some? This winter flocks of up to 40 birds have been seen in Cambridge, Peterborough and many local villages.

They’ve been in residential streets, supermarket carparks, and railway stations, in villages, towns and even in the centre of big cities. Keep your eyes out for starling-sized birds feeding on berries or perched in trees.

Take a closer look. They might be Waxwings and you’ll be able to see the magic of these astonishing birds at first hand.