NORMALLY it is shoppers who flock to the Hedge End Retail Park.

But they were in danger of being outnumbered by a migration of waxwings and a posse of bird watchers.

For the word had got out through pagers and websites that a squad of hungry waxwings, which are natives of Scandinavia, were in town eating out.

There was plenty to twitch about as the feathered strangers to this part of the world swooped in for a veritable feast.

Armed with state-of-the-art cameras and binoculars, enthusiasts had come from as far afield as Swindon to zoom in on how the birds like to banquet on berries, particularly nice juicy red ones.

When berry stocks run low in their native land, the waxwings, which have distinctive red and yellow markings on their wings and tail, book a first class flight to Britain.

The birds get their name because their wings look as if they have been dipped in wax. They normally confine themselves to East Anglia, moving up to Scotland, but the cold snap may have driven them to the warmer climes of the deep south.

Yesterday as many as 50 waxwings were making a real meal out of berry-laden trees on the edge of the Hedge End Retail Park, off Charles Watts Way.

In between meal breaks they made camp in an oak tree behind a disused warehouse.

Perhaps one of the easiest birds to identify, waxwings have dark salmon pink and grey plumage, topped off by an impressive crest. They have a black mask and bib, yellow and white wing bars and a yellow tip to the tail. They get their name from the waxy red tips to some of their wing feathers.

Waxwings breed throughout the wooded areas of Scandinavia, Siberia and North America.

Steve Farmer, 37 , of Shirley, Southampton, said: "Once the waxwings have exhausted their supply of berries in Scandinavia they come to Britain. It is a treat to see them in this part of the country."

Keith Morgan, 65, who described himself as a true birdwatcher, had made a special trip from his Romsey home to capture a rare glimpse of the waxwing.

He said: "It is a prized bird for this part of the country and a privilege to see them."

John and Joy Chalk, from Corfe Mullen, Dorset, had been birdwatching in the New Forest when they were told about the waxwing sightings at Hedge End.