Waxwing in a rowan in heavy rain A waxwing takes one of the last berries on a rowan. Bare fruit-stems show how a flock has fed here before and stripped the rowan berries.
Town is in grid-lock with everyone rushing to buy-in all the supplies we think we might need at Christmas, and more. Life is an unimaginable challenge for wildlife, like these waxwing flocking in from Fenno-Scandinavia, in search of berries. They've been in the neighbourhood for the last month and berries dwindle. Once their food-source is exhausted they'll be gone.
Town is in grid-lock with everyone rushing to buy-in all the supplies we think we might need at Christmas, and more. Life is an unimaginable challenge for wildlife, like these waxwing flocking in from Fenno-Scandinavia, in search of berries. They've been in the neighbourhood for the last month and berries dwindle. Once their food-source is exhausted they'll be gone.
With pervasive mist and drizzle I set out for a walk without my camera, always a mistake. I saw a flock of some ten waxwing in the same rowan where I found them last time, berries now depleted. Their jaunty cockades were visible and images show a wispy plume of feathers. Look closely and the bright yellow feathers of the tail-band show pale. If I zoom-in until the images are almost out of focus I can find those red 'wax' feathers on several birds. I stood watching them fly into the tree, listening to their soft trilling calls. 'The Chatterer' Thomas Bewick called them. I stayed to listen until the flock flew, and I scoured the neighbourhood hoping to find them again.
On Tweet of the Day, the naturalist John Aitchison describes the waxing calls as 'the tinkling of sleigh-bells.' It's apt because waxwing visit the UK, on irruption years, in winter. Today, I saw but did not hear jingling sleigh-bells because waxwing were sheltering from heavy rain and were silent. I shall remember John AItchison's comparison because seeing waxwing is a treat, hearing them is even more of a rare event.
On Tweet of the Day, the naturalist John Aitchison describes the waxing calls as 'the tinkling of sleigh-bells.' It's apt because waxwing visit the UK, on irruption years, in winter. Today, I saw but did not hear jingling sleigh-bells because waxwing were sheltering from heavy rain and were silent. I shall remember John AItchison's comparison because seeing waxwing is a treat, hearing them is even more of a rare event.
Heavy rain began to fall and when I returned by the rowan the waxwing perched in its crown, conserving their energy. There were few berries left and as they alighted the birds shook themselves to be rid of the rain. They were resting, hunkering down so I hurried home for my camera hoping they'd stay a while. I took photographs until my waterproofs were dripping - you never know when next you'll find waxwing and they're a treat in any weather. It's salutary to witness how hard their lives are. We often miss a wildlife spectacle because were 'hibernating' as a friend remarked. We keep indoors out of the rain, waxing are exposed to winter weather. Picture these small birds flying over the North Sea, borne on a North East wind to reach landfall in Scotland and Northumbria and to spread out across the UK.
My camera was so wet it refused to down-load images before it had dried out.
Rowan berries are a favourite food but waxwing are fruit-eating birds and will take hawthorn and they will eat apples. Perhaps spiking a rowan branch with apples would tempt the birds to return.
My camera was so wet it refused to down-load images before it had dried out.
Rowan berries are a favourite food but waxwing are fruit-eating birds and will take hawthorn and they will eat apples. Perhaps spiking a rowan branch with apples would tempt the birds to return.
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