At last! I spent the last days of November in an increasingly agitated state wondering if I was ever going to catch up with some Waxwings this year. With the severe weather in the north driving them southwards it seemed inevitable that a few of these wonderful birds would turn up in the Tring area. Unfortunately it was equally inevitable that when they did I would manage to miss them! A small group of 8 were found last Saturday and were briefly relocated again the next morning, but I was too late on the scene on both occasions. I spent a fruitless hour or so on Sunday morning scouring the residential streets of Tring carefully checking all the Rowan trees and other promising berry laden shrubs, but sadly they were not seen again.
Luckily some Waxwings chose to settle at Woburn in the same street lined with ornamental white Rowan trees that had been graced by a small flock earlier in the year. The snowfall in the night had made garden work almost impossible, so I gave myself the day off and took the opportunity to drive over to see them. Apparently there had been over 100 birds in the town earlier in the day which would have been quite a sight, but when I arrived at midday the numbers had fallen to small skittish flock of 24. Having gorged themselves on berries all morning the birds spent long periods perched high in the bare branches of a distant tree silhouetted against an ice blue winter sky, only occasionally dashing down to the Rowans for a few seconds to grab some berries in a half hearted way. It was almost as if they felt they ought to be feed as it was so cold, but actually couldn't be bothered because they were so full! The result was that I struggled to get any decent shots of the birds feeding and after a couple of hours the creeping numbness of my fingers and toes signalled to me that it was time to head home to the warmth and a cup of tea.
Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus (Woburn, 30/11/2010)
Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus (Woburn, 30/11/2010)
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