WAXWINGS have been spotted around Heathfield and Teigngrace.

There have been various sightings of a group of the distinctive brown birds, including at the Teigngrace junction beside the A38 (pictured).

A spokesman for RSPB South West said it was quite unusual to see waxwings so far south, and it’s believed there’s a roost of around 15 or 16 in the Heathfield area from the various sightings which have been recorded.

He said: ‘We believe they’ve travelled further south for the berries – there must be more for them to eat here than in the north where they usually stay.

‘We tend to associate waxwings with cold weather and they typically live in Scandinavia and northern Britain. We don’t get them down here very often.

‘Waxwings are usually identified by their distinctive feathery crowns, and the recent sightings are almost certainly of the same roost.’