Waxwing feeding on rowan berries 11 December 2016 Mapping the waxwing across Kendal, that's the focus. I've watched this exotic rowan to see if it would attract them. Almost home and it began to rain. I heard starling and glanced up at an alder. Not starling, but waxwing. As I settled in to watch, birds flew down to the rowan to feed. Look at the posture of the bird on the right, so supple and acrobatic compared with the blackbirds that fed beside them. Despite the rain, their colours show.
To-day, I can show the red 'wax' for which the bird is named.
To-day, I can show the red 'wax' for which the bird is named.
A smaller flock today, less than twenty birds. I almost missed them because nearby starlings drowned out their chatter and clouds were gathering so the light was poor.They perched high in an alder, for safety and to send out scouting parties looking for the next crop of rowan berries. Lots of the trees are already stripped, either by waxwing or if the blackbirds have got there first. Soon, they'll move on in search of food. To feed, the waxwings fly down into the rowan berries- a couple of birds or more. It seems to depend on how safe them feel. Again, passing cars spooked them. A runner startled them too. Up in the alder their stance is erect. They transform into tumblers once they're feeding, upside down and stretching supple to reach clusters of berries.
Waxwing in rowan berries. Note brilliant yellow tail feathers, and on the wing the 'wax' red tips and the yellow patterning. I've zoomed in beyond sharpness, to show the detail. Look carefully and you can see the bird's head and bill.
Close-up of the previous image. To show individual tail feathers and wing feathers. Colour of rowan stems and fruit show the whole rich in colour
Blackbirds, individual birds, had been taking these berries from an exotic rowan for a while. When a waxwing flock arrives it focuses on a food source until it is gone. You'll see trees spiky with stalks where the fruit were. Then the scouts find new supplies and the flock moves on. The visitation last two or three days, depending on the abundance of berries. There was another nearby rowan left untouched, beside a busier road.
If you think birdwatching is all about sharing, so it is. I love to share, but there's a competetive element too. The visitation is so local that one birder missed the lot, all the Kendal waxwing. He was mighty miffed. Who knows when they'll come again. I want to know if there's flock memory and whether these birds will clock that colourful rowan for the next time there's a waxwing eruption.
If you think birdwatching is all about sharing, so it is. I love to share, but there's a competetive element too. The visitation is so local that one birder missed the lot, all the Kendal waxwing. He was mighty miffed. Who knows when they'll come again. I want to know if there's flock memory and whether these birds will clock that colourful rowan for the next time there's a waxwing eruption.
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