HUNGRY birds are again flocking to Huddersfield to feast on the town's plentiful supply of berries.
A flock of rare waxwing has come all the way from Northern Scandinavia - to feed on the berry bushes in the Jim Lane area of Marsh.
The flock of about 30 waxwings is one of many to head south because the supply of berries in their native country has run out.
They are usually spotted down the east coast of England and Scotland.
Tim Melling, conservation officer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds at Denby Dale, said: "It's great to see waxwings in Huddersfield again. They are beautiful to look at and always popular with bird watchers."
The waxwing are notoriously unpredictable when it comes to migration.
Mr Melling said: "I think it is their unpredictability along with their attractiveness that make them really popular."
The waxwings are easily recognisable with a pink crest on their head, a black `bandit mask' around the eyes and a yellow stripe on their wings.
Not everyone is delighted to see the waxwings, however.
The native mistle thrush will vigorously defend berry and fruit stocks if waxwings venture into its territory.
The waxwings should stay until April when they will fly back to Scandinavia in search of the new season's insects.
FACTS ABOUT WAXWINGS
DID you know . . .?
* Waxwings get their name because the tips of their feathers look as though they have been dipped in bright red sealing wax.
* The average size is somewhere between a sparrow and a robin
* Their favourite foods are cherries, mulberries, blackberries and blueberries.
* The waxwing has a distinctive high-pitched shrill that has been likened to the sound of a small bell.
* If the berries that the waxwing eat so much of have fermented, the birds can actually get drunk and will flop around until they sober up.
