Waxwing in Derbyshire

[rlchew]

Last weekend I had a trip to northern England and took the opportunity to take in a long-staying Waxwing at Allerstree in Derby.

I have been fortunate in recent years to see a flock of Waxwings return each winter to the berry bushes of the local supermarkets in Pitsea, Essex but for the last 2 years they have decided to “shop” elsewhere .

Therefore I was very pleased to see and photograph this bird in Derby .

For much of the time, the Waxwing perched on the tops of telegraph poles or in trees ....





.... but after a rest and a preen it could not resist coming back down to berry bushes to give exceptionally close views ....















Needless to say, a small army of birdwatchers and photographers received bemused looks from local residents but they did not seem to concern the bird in anyway.

The Waxwing is a plump bird which is slightly smaller than a starling. It is reddish-brown with a black throat, a small black mask round its eye, yellow and white in the wings, a yellow-tipped tail and a prominent crest.

Waxwings breed in the dense forests of northern Europe but they occur in varying numbers in the UK from October to March. In some years they can occur in large numbers (known as irruptions) when the population in the breeding areas gets too big for the food available.

The first UK arrivals each winter are usually seen on the east coast from Scotland to East Anglia but birds then move inland in search of food. They can be found in parks and gardens and even busy public places, typically where there are berry-bearing trees and bushes such as rowan, hawthorn, cotoneaster and rose.

Richard

[willing to learn]

I wonder if its still about, thats only about 5 minutes away from me nice pics by the way.
Regards
Colin

[aeshna5]

Nice photos Rich- always a smashing bird. Certainly been a drought year for them, but we have been spoilt in recent years with some big influxes!

[rlchew]

For those that want to see this bird ....

According to the BirdGuides website the Waxwing was first reported on 8th February and last reported on 21st February but may of course still be present.

The bird ranges along Ferrers Way in Allerstree .... streetmap.co.uk or multimap.com should find the location .... please contact me if you want any further information.

Richard

[naturelover]

Nice set of photoes,the waxwing is a very pretty bird i think,dosnt look british.

[vole-woman]

Stupendous pics!

[Ollie]

Lovely shots there Richard.

Been a few years since I've seen any

Roger

[tich007mt]

Lovely pictures of a lovely bird Rich.

Tich

[VinceS]

Very nice pictures of a very colourfull bird. I am particulary interested as they were taken with a D80 and 500mm lens. I am currently trying to get to grips with my D80 and hoping to get the Bigma soon.

Vince

[Bub-les]

Lovely photos
A bird I've never seen I don't think they come over here very often!
Barbara