A Bonus Day and Bonza Birding. 29th February 2020

There are some birds that we just have to see every year whether year listing or not. Some, like Nightingale and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, we can find fairly locally with a bit of effort in the spring, whereas to see others, like Dotterel and Black Grouse, usually requires either a holiday or a day out to places much further afield. One eagerly sought after bird could fall into either of those categories and that is the Waxwing, a winter visitor from northern latitudes. In some years Waxwings arrive in large numbers and spread throughout the country and can turn up close to home, for example two years ago we saw one just a hundred yards from our house and ten years ago there was a flock of over fifty just a few streets away. In other winters, such as this one, Waxwings are much thinner on the ground and tend to keep to northern counties and Scotland, don't venture very far south and thus become much harder for us to catch up with. So the news of a Waxwing that had pitched up close to Evesham during the previous week had me planning a Saturday trip out to see it. By some miracle, after all the storms and rain of the past month or so, the weather forecast for Saturday was favourable with sunshine predominating in the morning at least!

The single Waxwing was reported to be favouring a single Rowan tree next to the railway in the small village of Blackminster. We arrived at around 10 o'clock, crossed over the railway, looked for a parking spot, turned around, drove back over the level crossing, looked on the other side for a parking spot, turned around again and returned over the railway before ditching the car outside a small parade of retail outlets about fifty yards away from the railway tracks. In all the toing and froing I had completely forgotten that the Waxwing was usually seen feeding on the berries of the tree right next to the railway crossing and it was only as we walked back towards the railway that I realised that the Waxwing was perched right at the top of the Rowan! We should have seen it as we drove past, if not the first time but on the second or third pass and yet we both managed to miss it. We also neglected to notice Phil (@musicalbirder94), a friend of ours who was stood near the tree with his camera pointed at the bird. We walked up the other side of the road so that we didn't disturb the Waxwing but Phil beckoned us over anyway assuring us that the bird was quite happy despite our relative proximity to it. Waxwings are special birds, exotic and unusual looking, and yet we were the only three birders present. I rattled off a few quick frames of the bird at the top of the tree and then continued to exchange pleasantries and news with Phil.

Waxwing

The Waxwing had clearly devoured most of the berries at the top of the Rowan tree during its three day stay but the rest of the tree was still heavily laden so it will find plenty of sustenance for a good while longer yet unless it is joined by more of its mates. A flock of Waxwings quickly strip a small Rowan of its treasures. Unfortunately the Waxwing suddenly chose to fly off and away soon after we arrived but Phil said that it had tended to feed for ten minutes or so before retiring elsewhere to presumably digest its bounty and would return within fifteen minutes or so.

It wasn't long before the Waxwing did return and when it did it once again perched among the bare branches at the top of the tree. Despite appearing quite wary the Waxwing didn't flinch as the first of many lorries rolled past and after five minutes or so it dropped down to a lower branch and began feasting on the plentiful small white fruits there. Fortunately the Waxwing was clearly visible choosing to feed on our side of the tree and I took some very pleasing images over the next few minutes. After all, I was close to the bird and there was bright sunshine so even I couldn't mess things up!

The prize for Waxwings is the berries of course and the prize for camera carrying Waxwing watchers is securing photos of the Waxwing holding the berries aloft in triumph. Grabbing those type of shots was pretty easy this time. Selecting the best to show off here was far harder!

The warning sounds of the crossing barrier lowering in readiness for a passing train didn't perturb the bird either and it wasn't even bothered by the train thundering past a couple of minutes later. 

11:30 to Worcester

Surrounded by white berries it almost looked as if it was feasting on mini snowballs. The photo below which I submitted to Birdguides gained me my fifteenth Notable Photo accolade but I'm still waiting for a second Photo of the Week.

It took a dog barking in the car sales compound the other side of the tree to send the Waxing flying off again. Phil left having had a decent fill of the Waxwing and it was just Mrs Caley and myself left looking at the empty tree. We decided that a coffee was in order so we retired to the excellent Potting Shed cafe. It was too early for lunch but the tempting (and massive) Sausage Rolls (apologies non meat eaters) didn't go unnoticed and I reckoned we'd be back in a couple of hours once we'd finished watching the Waxwing. 

When we returned to the Rowan it was still empty so we tucked ourselves in against the fence and waited for the Waxwing to fly back. Less than five minutes later it did just that arriving over our shoulders from the opposite side of the tracks. This time it went straight for the berry bearing branches and voraciously set out about filling its stomach. After eating a few the Waxwing would stop for a while and seemingly select some more berries and then manoeuvre itself next to another inviting bunch and then rapidly pick some off again. I reckon in the couple of hours that we watched it, the Waxwing scoffed down nearly a hundred berries! Equivalent maybe to me seeing off a hundred cupcakes, ok I know, also totally believable!

As the Waxwing sought out the more difficult to reach berries then it had to stretch out further and further on the smallest sprigs to reach them. Waxwings are Starling sized birds but are naturally very athletic and reaching the outlying berries presented no problems. Other local birders joined us and took their own photos while members of the general public, some of whom walked and stopped almost directly under the Rowan, inquired as to what the fuss was all about. Even drivers would slowly crane their necks upwards as they passed slowly by to see what everybody was looking at. On more than one occasion I was asked if a Steam Train was imminent. Birdwatcher, Trainspotter all look the same to some folk!

I'd already taken hundreds of photos, I apologise for putting so many into this blog but it isn't often that I manage to get so many decent ones, so we decided to go for that excellent and delicious looking Sausage Roll. Such fare wouldn't do my weight loss initiative much good but some things just look too good to leave untried. In my camera carrying life I have taken thousands of photos of Waxwings but they are a bird that are so photogenic that it's difficult not to take more even though you're pretty much duplicating shots taken every time you see one. But usually Waxwings pitch up on dingy grey winter days so to get one in bright sunshine was a big bonus and my images taken reflected that, probably constituting my best Waxwing set that I've taken.

After lunch we had one last look at the Waxwing which had moved to the top of a nearby taller tree to digest its own meal so we didn't bother walking back to join the other birders by the level crossing. Instead we had, over lunch, chosen to go and see another special wintering bird nearby in the Cotswold Hills.

There is very poorly kept "secret" location a few miles from Bourton on the Water that hosts Short-eared Owls during the winter months. A couple of fields there are maintained as rough grassland by the local farmer and wildlife trust and they are visited by many birders and toggers that go to see the Owls. A couple of years ago a Great Grey Shrike also wintered there and Barn Owls, Buzzards and Kestrels are also usually seen. The drive from Blackminster was just over fifteen miles and took us half an hour or so. The change in weather as we travelled over the higher ground was dramatic though with the bright sunshine being replaced by wintry showers and when we arrived alongside the stone wall that borders the Owl fields it was actually snowing! We were early but were still surprised to see that nobody else was there, perhaps we were the only ones with no sense and that everybody else knew that Owls don't fly in windy and wintry weather, But I reckoned that the Short-eared Owls would still need to feed and also that they were birds of upland areas anyway so would probably be at home in such conditions. It was just a case of waiting.

In the event we waited for over an hour before Mrs Caley noticed a Shortie fly high over the road and into the airspace over the field. By the time I had scrambled out of the car and into the icy wind the Owl had disappeared. Still it was on our year list. Some time later I noticed a Short-eared quartering closely over the grass so once again left the warm climes of the car and braved the elements. There were actually three of the Owls out there but we had to peer through the snow flakes to see them. They were also frustratingly a long way out choosing to fly along the ridge that runs along the field. Mrs Caley having seen them retreated back to the car while I stayed braving the conditions more resemblant of the Cairngorms at this time of year. Unfortunately I wasn't dressed as I would be if I was stood in the mountains and was literally frozen rigid but, hey, we all have to suffer for our art sometimes.

Short-eared Owl

Eventually, it seemed to take ages, one of the Owls made its way closer and I fired off some photos made all the more atmospheric owing to the falling snow. The weather was so arctic I was half expecting the Short-eared Owls to mutate into Snowy Owls, but as a local Facebook discussion group has pointed out recently they are all residing in North Oxon at the moment (posing as Barn Owls).

The snow flurry passed and left clear and bright conditions for a while. However the dark sky to the West foretold of more snow to come and it wouldn't be long in coming either. Another of the Owls, a much greyer bird, flew in towards the wall that divides the two fields and rewarded my patient and icy vigil by coming close enough for some better images.

Over the next hour or so I spent turns in watching the Owls hunt and taking refuge in the car whenever a snow shower rattled through. The very grey Shortie was always the most obliging and at one point took a breather on one of the posts in the field.

A Barn Owl was active too but always stayed at the western most fringe to the field. The only other vehicle that I saw that afternoon had parked at that end and no doubt the occupant would be filling their boots with blinding views of not only the Barnie but several of the Shorties too. By the time that I decided I needed some close ups of the Barn Owl it had left the vicinity and disappeared!

Barn owl

Parking anywhere along the narrow road has been made difficult by the verges having been totally trashed by the amount of cars that have parked up through this pretty wet winter. Not wanting to get our new motor stuck we had stuck to the only parts of hard standing. Now I had to park in the driveway of an adjacent farm track and walk back to the corner of the field. I chatted to the owner of the other vehicle and he regaled me with the crippling views that he'd had of the Barn owl. Interestingly though there were no Owls active over the fields now, about an hour and a half after they had first appeared which tied in with my friend Jim's observations of a week before. He said in his excellent Standlake Birder Blog that the Owls tended to leave the fields after an hour of emerging from their roost and didn't return before darkness. There were however a flock of four Ravens that flew noisily past but in the near darkness created by another impending snow squall and my hurriedly taken photos only caught silhouettes. 

Raven

It was time to get back in the car and warm up and look forward to see what the first day of March would bring. The last and bonus day of February was certainly a good one!