A Particularly Gulling Couple of Days; 13-14 January 2023

Near the end of 2022 we saw a beautiful and extremely confiding juvenile Sabine's Gull in Kent. We had only had a couple of previous sightings of Sabine's Gull before and that was our first juvenile. You can read about, and see photos of that bird here (scroll down past the Pied Wheatear to reach the Sabine's). It had also been over twenty years since we had a really good view of an adult Sabine's Gull, at Farmoor in August 2001, and I now longed for another. The opportunity to see another adult Sabine's Gull finally presented itself when one was found in Langstone Harbour near Portsmouth in early January. Amazingly it was in full breeding plumage too, birds in that state are only usually observed high in the Arctic regions of Northern Siberia and North America. What a bird in that condition was doing on the South coast of England during our winter was a mystery and frankly mind boggling!

It just had to be seen though, so at the earliest chance that I had, on Friday the 13th, we travelled down to Havant and parked next to The Solent to join a dozen or so other eager twitchers to observe the Sabine's. The Gull had taken to feeding and resting on a small brackish lagoon that had been created by a breach in the sea wall about 400 metres east of the carpark. It was a sunny but also very windy morning with small waves breaking right up to the sea wall. I spotted a small bird clinging onto the top of a fencepost facing headlong into the stiff breeze. My initial thought was a Wheatear so I rattled off a couple of shots with my now two week old camera. While I was firing away the thought entered my head that Wheatears shouldn't really be in the country in January and if it was a Wheatear then it could well be rare. My excited review of the images showed that I had mistakenly jumped to a wrong conclusion and the bird was actually a Stonechat! I blame the wind and Friday the 13th gremlins, both of which were making viewing anything through binoculars or camera very difficult. We did get a year tick a few moments later with two Rock Pipits that fed along the strand line. To photograph those would have entailed pointing the camera directly into the strong side-wind and would have been totally futile. I'd wait until better views later in the year.

The whereabouts of the Sabine's Gull was obvious even from two hundred metres away because we could see the attendant birders. The bird itself was obvious too, lit up by the low sun and shining as brightly as a white star on the muddy shore of a small island. We reached the breach in the sea wall and after a careful bit of navigation over some old wire fencing and a big muddy patch, we were able to wade out, we had thoughtfully donned wellies for the walk, onto a shingly patch of land to where the other birders were standing. The Sabine's Gull was in repose on the other side of a small break of water no more than sixty feet away. This was the close views that I'd craved for those twenty odd years since the Farmoor bird. What a beauty the Sabine's gull was too!

Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini)

I spoke to a chap I knew from previous twitches and he told me that the Gull had been resting like that for over an hour since he'd arrived. They had been concerned for its welfare and wondered if it was sick. However, it must have been waiting for us because just a few minutes after we arrived the Sabine's got to its feet (point about that later), flew a few metres and plopped into the water. Even with my rudimentary knowledge of how to use my new camera, I couldn't miss.

For the next ten minutes the Sabine's gull was active, flying in a loop around the brackish lagoon. Its direction was primarily into the stiff breeze, right to left as we watched, when it would fly closely above the water, occasionally dipping down to snare a food item. It would use the wind to fly rapidly back to its starting point then repeat the careful scrutiny of the water again. With every flypast a dozen or so cameras would go into overdrive including mine although you couldn't hear it of course.

There wasn't much time to study the bird owing to it being so active but I did my best to just watch it for a few minutes but in the end couldn't resist firing off more photos. What a belter of a bird too! Shape and jizz was akin to a Little Gull but it was a trifle larger although not Black-headed Gull sized as could be seen when it got too close to one and found itself a target of abuse.

Sabine's Gull & Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)

The standout feature was the head and bill which for my money make the Sabine's gull the best looking of all the Gulls that I've seen. The head is a beautiful slate grey colour with a well defined black border at the neck de-marking it from a pure white collar and nape. The iris of the eyes is a dark red as is the gape of the bright yellow-tipped bill. The rest of the Sabine's was standard fare, a light grey back combined with black flight feathers. When unfurled the upper wing shows a grey-white-black pattern while the underwing is almost pure white. The tail is also completely white. This bird unsurprisingly looked a bit tatty around the edges but that didn't detract one iota from its overall beauty. The legs were pinkish-grey but the left foot appeared to be damaged and was turned to an unnatural angle and that injury may explain why the bird was here on the south coast of England instead of being much further north.

My new Canon R7 is capable of taking up to thirty frames per second but I had opted for a mere six. After just twelve minutes of photographing the Sabine's Gull I had taken almost five hundred photos. Afterwards I would reduce the speed to just two and half frames per second because I spend far too much of my life editing photos as it is. If I was a tad critical then I would admonish myself for over exposing the images a little, in the bright sunshine the white of the bird was gleaming but the finished results were a few steps up from what I would have achieved with my last camera so I was generally delighted with the images. We all have to learn how to use new tools. It had been my first workout with a bird in flight which the camera handled well although at times I did have focusing issues when the lens would "hunt" for the subject.

The major improvement with the R7 is the amount of "keepers". Apart from the frames where I had captured empty sky because the Gull had moved too quickly or was carried erratically away from the viewfinder on the wind, almost every image taken was in focus. I actually began dumping perfectly fine photos if they were near duplicates of others and at times, because of that fast frame rate, there would often be half a dozen near identical images. The increase in editing time required was the main reason for me slowing down the frame rate for next time. If I ever get the chance to take photos of Hummingbirds then I will increase it again.

After just twenty-five minutes since we left the car we decided that we'd seen enough and had become bored of being buffeted by the wind plus it was Friday so it made sense to head for home before the A34 became a big long carpark. It was also becoming busier and noisier by the lagoon with more and more birders arriving. The Sabine's Gull had risen higher and flown over us and out to the harbour anyway and although it was still visible, it was now further out over the water and viewing was directly into the sun. We took one last look at the fabulous Sabine's Gull and walked off.

On the way back to the car we did have a good look around and added a few more birds to our year list. Brent Geese were present in good numbers and the shore was busy with various wading bird species. Viewing into the sun wasn't easy however, and holding binoculars and the camera in the wind was very difficult so I never bothered to take any photos. I got briefly excited by a Pipit that was feeding along a small ditch on the marsh, a Water Pipit had been reported here but I was convinced that it was just another Rock Pipit. Water Pipit is definitely a bird I want to see well this year but this bird just wasn't one.

Year List additions;

69) Rock Pipit, 70) Curlew, 71) Sabine's Gull, 72) Oystercatcher, 73) Brent Goose, 74) Redshank, 75) Dunlin, 76) Ringed Plover, 77) Turnstone

Waxwing Lyrical! Cranfield, Bedfordshire March 4th 2023

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.

(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