Waxwing
Well this winter's predicted Waxwing invasion doesn't seem to have materialised with just relatively small numbers being reported. So here's one of the three that I saw locally about a month ago. Nearly all Waxwing photos show them gorging on berries but the three birds that I saw never fed on berries and remained high in trees, making occasional sallies to catch flying insects. They weren't easy to locate and this photo gives an idea of how they could blend in.
Waxwings have never bred in Britain, and they aren't even what you would call regular migrants in winter as they usually remain in Scandinavia throughout the year. But when the berry crop fails or becomes exhausted, they will move further afield in search of berries, which is when we get them in Britain. They are also typically found in urban areas where there are lots of ornamental berry bushes like Pyracantha.
Waxwing
Well this winter's predicted Waxwing invasion doesn't seem to have materialised with just relatively small numbers being reported. So here's one of the three that I saw locally about a month ago. Nearly all Waxwing photos show them gorging on berries but the three birds that I saw never fed on berries and remained high in trees, making occasional sallies to catch flying insects. They weren't easy to locate and this photo gives an idea of how they could blend in.
Waxwings have never bred in Britain, and they aren't even what you would call regular migrants in winter as they usually remain in Scandinavia throughout the year. But when the berry crop fails or becomes exhausted, they will move further afield in search of berries, which is when we get them in Britain. They are also typically found in urban areas where there are lots of ornamental berry bushes like Pyracantha.