How is the berry crop in your region?

[JeffH]

Although the berries on my garden Rowan have already been consumed, the local hedgerow Hawthorns in this area are very well laden with berries as are the many Pyracantha in local gardens......so I'm expecting another hard winter

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)

[FUDGEY]

Good news there is food for them bad news Ill have to travel to see them. Thansk for all the regional reports folks, very interesting

[~T~]

Really rubbish in most places here. The whitebeam trees in the square across from my work that sustained the waxwings late in the year last year have had most of their berries blown off by the high winds already. There are a couple of (I think) cotoneasters with a load on them and also a holly tree that I think they feed on. Most rowans around here are already cleared except in some random places where there are still loads. Kind of odd.

[artdemole]

Blest with berries in this neck of the woods.So much color.

[RoyW]

Originally Posted by FUDGEY

I was pretty excited to hear the other day (not sure if its true) that the Northern half of Scandanavia was covered in Snow.

As I said on another recent thread, snow is not a factor that will affect Waxwings - they are more than able to cope with harse winter conditions.

The factors that will potentially decide whether or not we have another good Waxwing year are (1) how good the breeding season was, ie. whether there are a lot of Waxwings!, and (2) whether there are good crops of berries in Scandinavia and further east. If there are enough berries for them in their usual wintering areas, then we won't see them in large numbers regardless of how severe the winter weather is.
It is too early yet for any real indications of any movement, for that we will have to wait until at least mid-late October, but so far there do not seem to be indications of any unusual movements.