Waxwing questions...

[Emma S]

I've got a couple of questions about waxwings, if that's ok.........firstly though, can I just say I saw my first waxwings today! **big happy smile** Bit silhouetted in the fog, but unmistakeable and very gorgeous. They're amazing looking birds!

Ok - my questions:

- How long are they likely to stick around in the UK? Do they stay most of the winter?
- What happens when the berries run out? Do they eat something else or will they just move further across the country, or leave the UK altogether?
- Is this year's influx a particularly big one?
- Are we going to get a cold winter?


(last question is slightly tongue in cheek )

[jcyprus]

There has certainly been an influx of early arriving waxwings this year,the theory behind the birds arriving prematurely is that their food supply further north was limited and has completely run out and they are travelling south in search of food.
The birds usually stay until march or so then they all depart North to scandanavia ,many may pass through later than this though as some have gone as far south as Italy in search of food.
The waxwing has a reasonably versatile diet although it is almost exclusively berries they have been observed eating fruit and the like in harsh wheather when food is in short supply although there usual menu is Rowan,Hawthorn,cotoneaster and rose.


Hope this helps,

[FUDGEY]

It is a good year for them here. There can be several reasons why this is 1. Berries have failes in Scandanavia 2. Really good breeding season and the berries havent lasted as long or 3. Very cold weather. Also a possibility its a combination of two or all three. It doesnt mean we are going to have a cold Winter though. Beautiful arent they, must be our most exotic looking visitor.

[Emma S]

Interesting! Thanks. Amazing that they've gone all the way down to Italy.....(though eminently sensible in this weather, in my opinion!)

[Trik]

Your details don`t say where you are in the UK, Emma. I suspect that you are north and/or east. Anyone know if the waxwings eventually reach south-east Dorset?

Trik

[htcdude]

Originally Posted by Trik

Your details don`t say where you are in the UK, Emma. I suspect that you are north and/or east. Anyone know if the waxwings eventually reach south-east Dorset?

Trik

Keep an eye on Dorset Bird Club site:

http://www.dorsetbirdclub.org.uk/Sightings.htm

Only 1 at Studland on 6th Nov, nothing since then yet.

Nige

[Trik]

Thanks for the link. I`ll keep a watch on it.

Trik

[Meta menardi]

Just went to Kirbymoorside today, had to stop while Chris took some of her work to ... I don't listen.

I parked under a Sorbus sp. tree and when every one had gone and things quietened down, a flock of Waxwings (about 50) came back to the tree. Watched for 30 min. It made my day. They must be so easy to miss, light is so flat now, everything is B&W, I just saw the little crest and then more attention revealed the delight.

[Emma S]

My other waxwing question that I forgot to include with my original post is thus:

- Most of the references to waxwings being spotted seem to be in town or city centres...is this just coincidence, or do waxwings really favour towns over the countryside? I know they are attracted to the man-made plantings of cotoneasters and rowans etc, but there are lots of berries in the countryside too...

[certificate18]

I spotted a flock of at least 200 Waxwings in Leeds on 1 Dec 2010, while waiting for a morning bus on Potternewton Lane. As first I thought they were Starlings (in silhouette they look similar, especially in flight), but when I got closer to the tree they were roosting in, I noticed the distinctive crest and pale underbelly.