Waxwing lyrical part 19 - week 6

There are 70 Waxwings outside the window as I type this post and they are feeding on their current daily ration of around 80 apple halves. They don't look like they will be going anywhere soon especially as some snow and cold easterly winds are forecast for the next few days.



Yesterday was the start of the sixth week of Waxwings in the garden and a birdwatcher reported a count of over 80 which is the highest number yet. I had estimated more than 60 before going to work so wasn't surprised. A large proportion of the birds seen yesterday didn't appear to be ringed and I estimated that only 1 in 3 were ringed from the birds I checked. If numbers increase or stay at this level I may need to increase the food supply.

It was pay day yesterday and I bought 25 bags of apples from a supermarket on my way home from work. They are currently on offer at this particular store and are equivalent to wholesale prices. I got the usual strange looks at the checkout and another shopper couldn't resist asking why I was buying them. Then I got stunned silence when I explained. At least there is no Council tax to pay this month and that money can go towards funding the cost of more apples. The 25 bags (around 20kg) will only last about 3 days.

I grabbed a bit of video yesterday as still shots don't really show how busy the garden can get. It is not the best video in the world as it was a very dull grey morning. It was taken with a compact camera from an upstairs window but it gives a good impression nevertheless.