Waxwings arrive in town

The first of the winter’s Waxwings have reached Thetford, with two reported from the very edge of town just the other day. Given that a good number of these birds have been in the country for much of the winter, they seem to have been a little tardy in getting to me. Perhaps I have been expecting too much, particularly as a closer examination of the reports shows that there are, in reality, fewer here this winter than when we last had a decent invasion (and when I had a flock of 30 birds at the end of the street). While I have not managed to catch up with this particular pair of winter visitors, I did manage to catch up with the flock that was hanging around Thorpe St. Andrew at the turn of the year; so perhaps I should be content with that.

Waxwings are fantastic little birds. About the size (and shape) of a Starling, with peachy brown plumage, a little crest and a black bandit mask and chin. The name Waxwing comes from one other useful identification feature, namely the waxy-red appendages to some of the wing feathers. These occasional winter visitors originate from the belt of boreal forest, which stretches across Scandinavia and Russia. Following a bumper breeding season, the bird’s population swelled by a good berry crop the previous winter, Waxwings are often faced by a much smaller crop of their favoured berries come autumn and so are forced to move further afield in search of food. The large-scale movements which can result from such conditions, bring the Waxwings to western Europe in much greater numbers than is usual.

Flocks and individual birds start to arrive in eastern Scotland and the Northern Isles during the autumn. Should they arrive particularly early, then this usually means that we will receive a bigger influx later into the winter. As the winter progresses, so the birds begin to move further south and west, moving on to find new sources of berries as supplies are exhausted locally. Interestingly, the sorts of berries taken (including Rowan and Cotoneaster) often come from plants that are favoured by architects and town planners for urban sites. Among these are the amenity plantings used on new housing estates, industrial parks and around supermarket car parks. As such, it is not unusual to see groups of birdwatchers wandering around such sites looking for these birds. So, if you have a Cotoneaster in your garden or a Rowan still heavy with berries, then there is a chance this winter that you might be visited by one or more Waxwings. It seems that it is not just our nature reserves that can attract rare visitors.