Waxwing lyrical part 7

A few days of frustration on the Waxwing front for various reasons not least having to go to work so harder to keep tabs on things. There were 3 in the garden on the 19th and 20th but 11 the next morning (21st) and increasing to 22 in the afternoon.

On getting home from work much time has been spent up a ladder putting up apples and berries in the trees. The cotoneaster berries have been the result of guerrilla pruning and I stopped off on my way home tonight to collect some low hanging fruit as they say in management speak. Apples are a different matter and have cost me a few quid but who cares when Waxwings are a few feet from your window.

This morning I was up early to see how many would arrive but they didn't appear on time. I thought they had moved on but then 17 appeared briefly but soon flushed. A short time later 32 appeared and started to feed in earnest, the best count yet. The colour ringed Waxwing from Aberdeen was amongst them to indicate that the same birds are still hanging around.
 


Sorry for the poor photographs but taken through a window with a point and press.

The biggest frustration by far is that one bird is clearly wearing a foreign ring being pure aluminium and slightly larger than the rings we use in the UK. This bird has a habit of feeding on the apples closest to the window. That would be welcomed, usually, but I sent my telephoto lens off for repair earlier in the week. I now wish I had not sent it as I could have used it in manual and photographed the ring to get the number. It sits so close I can almost read it with binoculars.

Whilst today got off to a good start it was marred by someone who flushed all the birds whilst photographing them from the street mid morning. The intrusion was apparently too much and the birds didn't come back. I am happy to share but some push things too far. I would suggest they get their own chuffing apples and work at it and pay for it like I do.

Tomorrow is a new day and just could be a new story. It won't be for the want of trying as the ladder has been out again tonight along with apples, branches of berries and cable ties.