An arctic blast has forced a gorgeous group of Bohemian Waxwings from Scandinavia's forests to Cardigan Bay.

Twitcher Simon Batty spotted the small group of delightfully tufted birds in the Welsh Wildlife Centre south of the Ceredigion town on Tuesday 16 January.

The tiny birds typically migrate south from their natural habitat of the Boreal forests in Scandinavia depending on the amount of berries available.

This month Scandinavia reached temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius, which birders suggest caused the push south for the species, which are only ever seen during winter months in the UK.

A Bohemian Waxwing gorging on hawthorn berries in Ceredigion
A Bohemian Waxwing gorging on hawthorn berries in Ceredigion (Simon Batty)

Sightings of these delightful crested birds are a sign that not only are berries scarce in Scandinavia, but that more Waxwings will have landed on the north and east coast of Britain, pushing others further inland and west to places like Cardigan.

Bird enthusiast and photographer Simon said: "I had never seen a Waxwing before but was aware that they had arrived in Ceredigion due to being a member of a fantastic Facebook group 'Ceredigion Birds and Wildlife'.

"I was so fascinated to see them so close to the footpath near to Kingfisher hide and they were very comical gorging upon berry-laden trees. They didn’t seem to be phased by people's presence either.

"I feel very privileged to get to see my first ever one and advise people to be on the lookout around berry-laden hedgerows and trees within the county for these gorgeous and colourful rare visitors."

The small birds have gorgeous black, white, yellow, and red markings on their wings and feathers, with a beige body and an orange dusting around their eyelinered face.

They typically eat 800-1000 berries a day!
They typically eat 800-1000 berries a day! (Simon Batty)

Ceredigion is lush with rowan and hawthorn berries, the bird's favourite. According to Discover Wildlife, they typically consume between 800-1000 berries a day, which is double their body weight.

Years with large sitings of Waxwings in the UK are known as 'Waxwing Winters' or 'Waxwing Irruptions'. Some years only get a dozen sightings of Waxwings, however, the 2023/2024 winter has currently counted 1,500.

Records show the last 'Irruption of Waxwings ' was in the winter of 2012/2013.

However the hard winter for the tiny birds may not yet be over, as the Met Office forecast overnight temperatures in Ceredigion could plunge to -6°C tonight, causing severe frosts to develop.

A yellow warning for snow has been put in place for between 10am Wednesday 17 January and 11am Thursday 18 January, whilst winds exceeding 70mph are forecast for the coast this weekend.