Then, this morning, we were returning from another fruitless bathroom tile-choosing session, when I realised that the thrush I was trying to identify before we drove passed it was, in fact, not a thrush at all. I see a little silhouette of a bird.
At this juncture, I should add that I wasn't driving, so it was to my dear wife's credit that when I screamed "Waxwing!", she performed an impeccable and swift three-point turn, without so much as a question. Parking up on the opposite side of the road, we sat amazed as pedestrians wandered beneath the tree, without so much as a care for what was perched in it. This was matched by the Waxwing's disdain for the feverish excitement emanating from the 4x4 over the road. Make that 2 Waxwings, there's another one! Magnifico-o-o-o-o!
Now as this was on our patch, less than 500 yards from home, it made it all the more special. I hadn't seen a waxwing for over 30 years, back up North, and our lass had been on the planet even longer without ever spotting one. Not too late, my time has come.
Rushing home for optics, we returned to look up to the skies and see. The birds were sat in a... actually, I don't know what kind of tree it was, very, very frightening. Anyway, there was loads of Mistletoe in it, covered in berries, which is presumably why the waxwings were on the scene.
Pulled my trigger, now they're photographed.
