Fingers crossed for a bit of high pressure, leading to clear blue skies.
Monday 12 November 2012
Waxwings
As I write, thousands of Waxwings are arriving in various parts of the country, but despite keeping my eyes peeled all weekend none were seen by me in the PBC area. Today dawned fairly bright, but soon changed to drizzle and cloud, not exactly perfect conditions , but nevertheless a flock of 25+ Waxwings were seen close to a caravan park close to the city centre, where they quickly disappeared from, but were then re-located not too far away. Gradually I found these birds, perched high in a tree, fighting against the wind and the rain and showing quite well and giving their 'trill' like call. The weather and light were awful and the birds continued to stay high in the tree tops, but I managed to take the photos below.
This year looks like it is going to be a 'bumper' year for Waxwings, already thousands have been seen and it is still very early for these birds to be showing up. Hopefully, I will get to see some more when the weather is slightly more conducive to photography.
Fingers crossed for a bit of high pressure, leading to clear blue skies.
Fingers crossed for a bit of high pressure, leading to clear blue skies.
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HI John...I don't have a real favorite bird, but the Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings both just thrill me every time I see them !!
ReplyDeleteThat is quite the group, one that can strip a tree of it's fruit in no time flat!! : )
Good for you , hope the weather clears so you can get some light to photography them!!
If you would like to see a albino one go on my side bar and look for Northern Maine Birds...one was sighted and posted last week!! : )
Grace
Hi Grace,
DeleteI have not been lucky enough to see a Cedar Waxwing (they are extremely rare over here), but am always pleased and excited to see the Bohemian type. Hopefully the sun will make an appearance at some point, the forecast isn't that great though!
Just had a look on the Northern Maine Birds, what an amazing looking bird! Hopefully it will not get picked on too much by the others because of the fact it sticks out!
J
Glad you have seen them anyway John. Trust me to be away for a few days, just keep them in the area until I get back please. (:))
ReplyDeleteThanks Roy,
DeleteI will do my best! I don't think that it will be a struggle to see any of these fantastic birds this year, judging from the numbers that are coming in though! ;)
J
Still waiting for them here John, but I've thought all along this year has going to be a good one for them.
ReplyDeleteI did see on Birdguides that some were reported in Milton Keynes on Friday, but these may have been passing through. It certainly looks like it's going to be a good year for them!
DeleteJ
I await with baited breath for the arrival of waxwings in Sussex. (my bogey bird)
ReplyDeleteHi Mike,
DeleteAs the numbers increase I am sure that you will be able to 'pick' your bogey!
;)
J
Glad you were able to catch a glimpse of the Waxwings! Do they regularly migrate to your area? There are usually some Cedar Waxwings that show up here in the winter. Last year, I was lucky enough to have a group visit my yard along with a group of Robins.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tammy,
DeleteWe don't see them every year in the Peterborough area, but they appear in the country most years, just not in large numbers. The winter of 2010/2011 saw over 35,000 of them in the U.K., whereas last winter only about 100 came and stayed in Scotland.
As I said to Grace (above) Cedar Waxwings are extremely rare here, what Twitchers call a 'mega', only one or two have ever been seen here. You were lucky to get them in your own back yard!
J
Well done John! I am hoping I may get to see one this time. I must have been one of the very few not to in 2010/11 :-( They certainly seem to be showing earlier this year.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jan,
DeleteThey seem to be a bit earlier than the winter of '10/'11, the first time I saw them that year was 27th November, a couple of weeks later. It looks like another irruption year, so you may be lucky! I will cross my fingers for you.
J
Dear John,
ReplyDeleteI've never seen these beautiful birds here in Germany.
And I have almost lost track of your interesting blog, because I very seldom look at 'You are witty and pretty' these days, having the new blog www.berlinletters.blogspot.com and www.burstingwithhappiness.blogspot.com with their blog lists there. I would enjoy if you come over - than I will have the chance to see a waxwing at least on a picture :-)
Hi Britta,
DeleteSorry, I didn't realise that you had a new blog, I will certainly 'come over', see you there! ;)
Waxwings are birds that roam all over the place, they are never in one place for long at this time of year, you may get lucky and see one in the flesh!
J
That's great, thank you! Now I looked it up - in Germany it is called "Seidenschwanz" - silk tail - and now I remember that I once saw some, long ago.
DeleteSilk Tail or Wax Wing, not sure which I prefer, both are excellent names for this stunning bird Britta! I hope you get to see one again soon.
DeleteJ
looking forward to seeing them here in North Wales - there have been many sightings so I'm off to look for them on my day off !
ReplyDeleteGood luck Sharon!
DeleteThanks for the visit,Comment and 'Follow', very kind of you.
J
I remember the first time I saw a small group of waxwings. How wonderful it would be to see so many as you are describing. Beautiful birds. Are yours the same as our cedar waxwings, or another?
ReplyDeleteIt is always nice to see a largish flock of these birds Susan. These birds are Bohemian Waxwings, a different bird to the much rarer (in the U.K.) Cedar Waxwing.
DeleteJ
Oh, yes: I remember noting that in the British bird book. I didn't see any, so nice to see these photos--and in the subsequent posts, I see you're getting ever closer. I particularly love the waxwings through the foliage.
DeleteThanks Susan,
DeleteGetting nearer, but not necessarily better!
J