Every birder loves Waxwings and I'm no exception. They are one of the more exotic looking of birds that we can get in the UK and a joy to see since, being winter visitors, they lift the gloom of the season. In the last few years not many Waxwings have made it to our shores, and they have been hard to come by. Waxwings are well known as an irruption species, that is to say that in some years we get a mass arrival of the species, driven here by a shortage of their staple foodstuffs on the continent or by extreme wintry weather. A full scale irruption hasn't occurred here for a while although there was hope of one at the end of last year when a few hundred arrived in Scotland and a huge number were noted in Southern Sweden, but the predicted mass influx never materialised. We had seen a small flock of nine Waxwings at Sheringham in Norfolk (read here) at the beginning of December but since then only a paltry few had been seen in the country and they were all a fair distance from home.
Intriguingly around a month ago a couple of Waxwings were reported in the village of Cranfield, just north of Milton Keynes and less than an hour from home. Those two birds were spotted by a class of school children watching the birds as they took part in the "Big Garden Birdwatch," a census run by the RSPB at the end of January each year. However, follow ups of the report amounted to nothing and the birds weren't noted again. Until Friday 3rd March when two Waxwings were again reported in the same village, this time in a residential street about a quarter of a mile from the school. The new report wasn't submitted to the bird news services until late afternoon so there was no chance of us getting there before dark although some local birders did get there to confirm that the report was genuine. On Saturday morning we had decided to go on a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker hunt and the SatNav was primed to take us to our go-to place for them. As I sat waiting for Mrs Caley while she bought a newspaper from the local shop, I checked the BirdGuides page for updates and noticed that the Waxwings had been seen again. By the time Mrs Caley had rejoined me in the car, the SatNav had been rerouted and we were headed to Cranfield!
We arrived at nine o'clock and drove slowly into the street where the Waxwings were reported to be. Rather than look for the birds, we looked for the birders, a few of whom were sure to be already on site. Rounding a bend I almost drove into a couple of them since they were stood in the road and staring skywards beyond the last house on our right. Rather than continue on and possibly disturb the birds (should they be close to the road), I backed up and parked fifty metres away. We walked towards the other birders and as I passed that last house I followed their collective gazes and spied the two birds perched at the top of a Silver Birch tree in the garden of the house.
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| (Bohemian) Waxwings, (Bombycilla garrulus) |
The year tick and record shot secured I spoke to a chap who informed us that the two birds were feeding on the small ornamental apples on a tree right by the boundary hedge and next to the opposite footpath from which we stood. That tree was just the roads width away from the ten or so eager birders and toggers and I found it amazing that the birds would be so bold as to feed there, but Waxwings are well known for exhibiting fearlessness and they often allow close approach to, and from, humans. Less than five minutes after we arrived the two Waxwings flew down into the apple tree and began gorging on the fruits which mostly looked well past their sell-by-date but were obviously still attractive to the birds.
When Waxwings are feeding then they make the best of photographic subjects. They offer a myriad of poses as they acrobatically get into the best feeding positions. Most people think of Waxwings as small berry eaters, especially the little ones borne by Rowan trees. I've spent many hours watching and photographing Waxwings manipulating and downing the fruits of Rowan trees. Because Rowans are quick growing they are often incorporated into new housing estates and, famously, supermarket carparks so Waxwings are often encountered in such places, but in truth they can turn up anywhere. We've seen quite a few in our home town over the years including a large flock of seventy plus birds just a couple of hundred metres from our house. I've planted several Rowan trees in my garden in an attempt to lure a Waxwing to my own patch. Rowan berries only last for so long though since they are loved by many other bird species as well, so later in the winter when the Rowans are bare the Waxwings have to diversify and find other foods to eat. They are well known for feasting on windblown apples and can become intoxicated on the ethanol contained in the decaying fruit. We've seen Waxwings feeding on the berries of Pyracanthas bushes, and on Rose and Hawthorn Hips. In Scotland one February we watched Waxwings flycatching, launching themselves from tall silver birches to snare flying insects on a warm day in the same fashion as Starlings do. We found a flock of twenty-eight birds feeding on Juniper berries in a Scottish Pine Forest as late as mid-April a few years back. Late in the winter season Waxwings it seems, will adapt to eat just about anything.
The Waxwings were spooked by a passing delivery van and flew away over the roofs of neighbouring houses. Apparently they'd done that already before we'd arrived and had returned fifteen minutes later so it seemed as if they'd do so again. Rather than wait around and listen to more idle chatter we decided to take a walk around the estate and see if we could find where the birds had gone to. We couldn't find them but did spot a male Reed Bunting in a garden tree which seemed a bit strange since there were no visible watercourses anywhere. As we retraced our way back to the original spot, the two Waxwings winged it past us and were perched back in the silver birch when we got back.
Just one of the Waxwings made a break for the apples. Most of the other watchers didn't even notice that the bird had alighted in the tree. It was obscured by branches too but I realised that by moving a little to my left that there was a window through the twigs which spotlighted the Waxwing. The bird had its back to me but turned its head briefly. I took a few shots in the instant before the bird flew back to the tree to rejoin its mate. On reviewing the images I was gobsmacked. The bricks of the house had created an amazing orange background which appeared to complement the Waxwing perfectly. One of the images is shown at the head of this blog. I think it is one of the finest photos that I've ever taken. I posted it on Twitter and as of writing it has received much acclaim with almost a thousand "likes" and over a hundred "retweets," which is almost double my previous most popular post. I also posted it on the BirdGuides picture gallery. As usual it was passed over by the judges of the "Picture of the Week" competition. Not that being overlooked is any big surprise. I hardly ever get a look in that contest and I don't really know why I bother. Maybe I should have posted the image in landscape frame rather than portrait or perhaps I should copy the Waxwing and "do the Poznan!"
At the time though I was just excited enough to be watching and photographing Waxwings and any such grumbling over photo awards or lack of them were yet to be considered. Both of the birds had descended back down to the small apple tree and were feasting on the fruits again. They appeared to favour the overripe apples which were soft and pulpy, and presumably easier to eat since the apples were too large to be swallowed whole. It wasn't long though before the birds were scared by more traffic on the previously quiet estate road and had flown back to the taller lookout tree. It seemed that the only time cars or vans passed by was when the birds were trying to feed. Sods law applies to feeding birds as well as bird photographers.
When the two birds settled back to feed again they were also once again obscured at the other side of the tree. Once more though, and by some careful manoeuvring, I managed to find a gap in which to view the birds. This time one of them was framed against the pink tiles of the roof. The bird in the viewfinder had also found a pleasing perch to stand on. It selected a large piece of soggy apple and then spent almost a minute turning it, tossing it and getting it into a favourable position to swallow it, which it finally achieved after several aborted attempts. By the end it seemed to swell with pride as if to say, "There, you doubted me but I did it!"
The other Waxwing was close by and had the house bricks for a backdrop. It had elected a hanging branch on which to eat. The apples bestowed upon the branch resembled a bunch of shrivelling grapes and the Waxwing gave careful attention to each and every one of the fruits before probing into what it thought was the best one and emerging with the apple goo stuck to its bill.
After the two Waxwings had had their fill they returned to the silver birch to digest their meal and maybe sober up a bit. Their preening and sojourn was interrupted by a Sparrowhawk that flew into view over the rooftops. The Waxwings were off in a flash flying strongly away in the same direction that they had twice before. The show was over and with more and more folk arriving and the noise level of the chattering increasing, we left. There was evidence of a growing unrest among a few of the locals who dropped a few snide remarks as they walked past and mutterings against the new arrivals parking on their street. It was a good time to leave.
We stopped at Old Wolverton for a quick look for some Little Owls that reside there. In keeping with all of our checks of known Little Owl territories so far this year, the Owls put in a no show so we'd have to wait a bit longer before adding them to our year list. In the lovely Old School Cafe we enjoyed a coffee and bowl of hot soup while watching the birds on the feeders including a Goldcrest, a bird that I'd never seen on a feeder before.
Spare a thought for my mate Mark (The Early Birder) who has never seen a Waxwing. I had texted him the location and urged him to get himself over there. Mark takes the best photos and those birds deserved his photography skills. As we drove home, he passed us going the other way towards Cranfield. Unfortunately the Waxwings didn't show again that day. Mark is so unlucky when it comes to Waxwings. One day, fingers crossed, he'll get to see one and take some fabulous photos.
Year List addition;
165) Waxwing
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