From Red to Wax, wing that is.

I went up to Billinge this morning with a view to catching a few more Redwings. It was a little bit misty in places on the drive up but nice and clear when I got to site. I quickly set 3 nets just before first light and heard the odd Redwing going over in the darkness while doing so. Fog started to roll in as the sky started to brighten to the east but, luckily, it didn't get too dense and the sky directly above the site remained visible to some degree for most of the time I was there. There was a nice flurry of activity for the first hour or so during which 11 Redwings and 2 Fieldfare were caught. Not big numbers but very good for the site this late in the year and considering the conditions.

Both Fieldfare were first year birds with one being a male (image above) and the other a female. They showed some of the plumage differences between the sexes really well as can be in the collage below.

The male on the left has broader dark centres to the crown feathers and much darker centres to the feathers of the mantle. The differences aren't always as obvious as they are in these two birds. There is also a difference in the colour of the tail feathers with males having black or blackish tail feathers whereas in females they are more of a dark brown to blackish-brown colour.

I know I have shown loads of photos of Redwings but there is always room for one more.

Things went very quiet after the initial flurry of activity so I took the opportunity to have a quick walk around the site before the next net round was due. There was very little to be seen or heard but on the way back I thought I could hear Waxwings calling and as I got nearer 12 Waxwings flew from the direction of the nets and over my head. On checking the nets only 2 birds had been caught with one being a Redwing but the other was a Waxwing, the first I have caught this winter.

1CY female Waxwing. The bird was fitted with a coded colour-ring in addition to the usual BTO ring which will increase the chance of finding out about its movements.

Only one ringed but hopefully there will be more as the winter progresses.

There are no berries on any of the trees at the site other than those I sometimes place (speculatively) in one the bushes along one of the net rides when I have nets up. I hadn't put many berries out this morning as the supplies in my freezer have nearly run out but it certainly proved to be worthwhile, this time at least. Trying to catch Waxwings this way is a bit of long shot, even with the added assistance of an audio lure, but as Billinge is such a good site for migrants it was always going to be worth giving it a try, especially in a good Waxwing winter like this one. The fog closed in shortly after the Waxwing was caught so I decided to pack up having ringed 12 Redwings, 2 Fieldfare and 1 Waxwing.

With good numbers of Waxwings in the country and a few starting to be seen locally I am often asked if I have started to put apples out in the garden or if I have had any Waxwings back. The truth is I have been putting a few apples out in the garden since early October as I do every year as part of my routine winter feeding and they are not just there in the hope of attracting Waxwings. If I am lucky enough to get any Waxwings in the garden again this winter I wouldn't expect it to happen before February or March, when berries usually start to get in short supply.

When I got home today one of the first birds I saw in the garden was a male Blackcap feeding on one of the apples and that is one of the species I always put them out for in winter. This particular Blackcap has been visiting the apples and fat feeders for the last three days and is easily recognised as it is re-growing most of its tail. The garden was really buzzing with birds with Brambling being the most unusual visitor. 

This Blackcap is the second I have seen in the garden this winter with the first being a female that was only seen on one day.

Bramblings are usually a garden rarity but a female I ringed nearly a month ago has been coming to the feeders regularly and this new female appeared today.

Goldfinches are by far the commonest bird with up to 60 coming to the feeders on any one day and its anyone's guess what the turnover of birds is during the course of a day.

I don't usually get many Starlings in the first half of the winter but good numbers have been coming to the fat cakes over the last 6 weeks or so.

All in all a really good day with a nice selection of species.

Waxwing lyrical part 45 - Unexpected departure.

The Waxwing was not seen at all yesterday or so far today and it appears the bird has moved on. There is also the possibility that she has been predated or met some other fate but I prefer to think that it has started the long return migration to the breeding grounds in north eastern Fenno-Scandinavia or Siberia. This departure was a little sooner than I had expected but then her arrival was not expected at all so what do I know. There was a clear sky yesterday evening so the conditions were potentially suitable for a nocturnal departure if that is what Waxwings do.

This was one of the last photos taken on 01/03/15. Gone but never to be forgotten.

Despite extensive searching I have not been able to find any references to Waxwings being described as nocturnal migrants but I assume they are or perhaps I should say have that ability. The reality is probably quite complicated with Waxwings having the flexibility to migrate by day or by night but I suspect that long distance movements are mainly undertaken at night. If anyone can point me to any published information on nocturnal v diurnal movements of Waxwings in spring or autumn then please let me know.

It is back to normal birding in the garden but I will continue to put out a few apples for a while as I still have a wintering Blackcap and other species take advantage of them occasionally. The Grey Wagtail still visits the garden and looks particularly scruffy at the moment as it is undertaking its partial winter moult. Up to 20 Goldfinches continue to visit the feeders each day but Siskins are conspicuous by their absence. This appears to be due to a bumper crop of Sitka Spruce seeds which may mean an absence of Siskins from our gardens but should result in an early and bumper breeding season for them.

Despite the regular supply of apples this was the first time I recorded a Song Thrush feeding on them this winter. My garden Song Thrushes prefer to feed on the meal worm laced fat cakes.

This Grey Wagtail is undergoing an extensive partial moult. Some tertials were in the process of being replaced, some feathers are in pin on the head and new yellow feathers can be seen coming through on the breast. This photo also reminds me that I need to start cutting the lawn.

Just a few of the Goldfinches in the garden 01/03/15.

So Waxwing lyrical posts will go back on hold again, but just for how long this time is anybody's guess. We are probably due a Waxwing winter and autumn 2015 may well see the next big irruption.

Waxwing lyrical part 43 - Ruby Wax

Well the Waxwing is still here and attracting a steady stream of admirers which is hardly surprising with so few in the country. There was a bit more in the way of sunshine on Sunday and a lot more today so I couldn't resist taking even more photographs. Most of them get deleted as it can be difficult to get results I am happy with and that show different aspects of behaviour. I don't always like taking photos in strong sunlight but it certainly does help bring out the colour of the Waxwing's ruby red eye.

Get the light right and that ruby red eye really stands out.

A close up showing the feeding action. The bird seems to favour apples in certain positions that allow it to take a really firm bite and remove a piece with a snipping and pulling or twisting action that involves using the whole of the body. 

The bird's forehead is almost permanently wet with apple juice and bits of apple pulp get stuck on the bill. Wiping the bill on a twig deals with apple pulp on the sides of the bill but does not always clear any that has found its way onto the culmen.

If bill wiping doesn't remove all of the pulp a quick shake of the head throws off the rest.

All the stuff on the branch to the left of the apple is Waxwing poo. Waxwings eat a lot and poo a lot. When feeding continuously it can defecate as frequently as every one to two minutes. Yes I have timed it.

This photograph shows the Waxwing blinking by drawing the nictitating membrane across the eye. This membrane or third eyelid is much more transparent in Waxwings and is not as obvious as it can be in some other species. The transparency of the membrane in Waxwings is presumably an adaptation to help maintain vision and so make it less vulnerable to predation. You can see the forehead is wet from apple juice so it must get quite a lot in its eyes too and therefore it needs to blink frequently when feeding. From what I have seen they appear to blink with every peck but you would need a slow motion camera to confirm that.

Time for a scratch

The nictitating membrane is covering the eye as it scratches. I couldn't tell if it held the membrane across its eye for the duration of its scratching or if it involved a series of blinks.

When alarmed it tries to make itself inconspicuous by elongating and narrowing itself. Basically it tries to make itself look like a twig and part of the tree. The body feathers of a Waxwing closely resemble the bark of trees such as Rowan as can be seen in all of these photographs. 

Still very alert and with a very erect posture.

Blue Tits like a bit of apple too and you get a closer view of that Waxwing apple poo. 

..........and what other photographs can you take when you have a Waxwing in your garden.

and finally.................

The dog is jealous of all the attention the Waxwing gets and consoles himself with his sheep.

Waxwing lyrical part 42 - Billie no mates.

Is there only one?  Is it on its own? Why is it on its own? Isn't it unusual for it to be on its own? - these questions and variations of them have been asked frequently by visiting birders over the last week. It may be on its own in terms of other Waxwings but it has been attracting a good number of birders and photographers since I put the news out last Monday. There has been a steady trickle of birders through the week and around 100 people in total have been to see it today.

Luckily my neighbours don't mind and most visiting birders have shown due consideration. The main issue is parking and a few haven't heeded or perhaps been aware of the requests to use the nearby car park and have parked in the street. This causes far more problems than they seem to realise and the situation becomes compounded when passing traffic slows to see what all the fuss is about. If you happen to be reading this and are thinking about visiting then please use the nearby car park, it is only 50 metres away, and do not park in the street. My garden is near a junction that is difficult enough to see out of without parked cars and pavements full of birders.

The only other issue is photographers being just a bit too keen to get a good photo. I am sorry the house is in the background and twigs may be in the way but please don't be tempted to creep up the garden path or walk up the drive at the side of the garden; it does get noticed as some were informed today. I am expecting it to be even busier tomorrow as so many people still seem to be slaves to routine, sporting fixtures and the Saturday shop. You are all welcome and I hope the bird shows for you but please don't push it when it comes to taking photographs. If you do you may just appear on this blog as we (me and the family) spend as much time people watching as we do watching the bird. We don't mind being in the proverbial Goldfish bowl but we do get to look out from it.

Anyway back to the bird and she has shown quite well today (holding back from calling her Billie and saying she sounds wrong too). There was a period from late morning through early afternoon when she, it, Billie was much more mobile and spent a lot of time fly-catching. That behaviour is worth seeing in itself and is far more entertaining than just watching it eat apples. You have a chance of seeing the bird anytime between about 07:30 and 16:00 based on today's performance.

I do like apples and recognisable twigs in my photos as I want to show that it is in my garden and not just a portrait of a Waxwing that could have been taken anywhere.

.............and here is a bit of video on You Tube

Waxwing lyrical part 41 - returning bird confirmed !!!

There were no sightings of the Waxwing yesterday and none this first thing this morning but when I came home from Preston this afternoon she was sat feeding on an apple only a few feet from one of the upstairs windows. I ran inside and grabbed the camera, which I had left by the window, and started rattling off some shots. The bird was too close to the window to risk opening it and she clearly knew I was there even though the blinds were left two thirds closed. There was no ring on the left leg and her right leg was obscured and if she was a returning bird that is the leg she would most likely have a ring on. Happily I didn't have to wait long before I got a glimpse of the right leg and I could see she was ringed. I already suspected she was returning bird from 2013 but now I had to prove it by getting the ring number with photographs or by catching her.

Waxwings have fairly short legs and they can be difficult to see and especially when you really want to see them.

Go on show us your right leg.

Eventually she turned round and I could see a ring on the right leg.

Every timed she moved in the process of feeding and showed her ringed leg I hit the shutter button and took a burst of shots. The light levels were very poor and I was only getting fairy low slow shutter speeds of around 200th of a second much of the time which is a bit slow for hand holding a big lens and getting reasonably sharp shots of a moving subject. However I reviewed some of the photos on the back of the camera and could see I was able to read part of the ring number on some of them. Now I had to hope the ring would move around on her leg as she moved so I could read the full sequence of two letters and five numbers.

After taking around 180 photos in about 30 minutes I had the full combination of BV05864 and recognised it as being a sequence I had used. I looked up the details and found it was a bird I had ringed in the garden on 23/02/13 as a first winter female. I had also retrapped her on 28/03/13 so she was a bird that had stayed for a while and probably much longer than that as some birds stayed into May 2013.

Just a few of the photographs used to confirm the ring number.

If you have read my previous post (link here) you already know I thought it was more than just a bit of a coincidence that this bird found the apple halves in the garden (especially as there were only 3 for it to find). It made sense to me that a returning bird would go to areas it had frequented previously especially if there had been a very reliable food source and more than a ton of apples over 3 months must count as that. Returning to such areas also increases the chance of a bird finding others of its kind if such behaviour is an inherent trait.

I think Waxwings probably develop 'the knowledge' of finding their way around a bit like London cab drivers but on more of a continental scale and learning to find food sources rather than addresses. Their irruptive wanderings are probably less random than they often appear to be and the regularity of there occurrence in places like Aberdeen possibly goes some way in showing that. The return of this bird almost has similarities to a matriarch Elephant falling back on previous experience and leading the heard to a distant but reliable watering hole in a drought year.

That analogy to an Elephant may not be stretching things as much as you may think. The main differences, apart from size. feathers, wings, ears etc. etc., is Waxwings obviously have much shorter life spans and they may not be forced to undertake a long distance irruptive movement more than once in their lifetime so the opportunity to display such behaviour (knowledge) may not occur very often. Big Waxwing irruptions can be around 10 years apart and the average lifespan of a Waxwing is probably much less than that. Another complication is that movements may involve birds from different parts of their breeding range in different irruption years. Also the berry crop here can vary in irruption years too and even good berry crops may only last a few weeks. Basically the variables for a Waxwing are far greater than for the Elephant in a drought situation but the ability to learn and remember to enhance survival are fundamentally the same. You also have to add to that the fact that Waxwings aren't that well studied and relatively few are ringed and perhaps more importantly attracting them with supplies of apples over a long period is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Bottom line I think this is a fantastic occurrence and especially in a winter when there are so few in the country. It is clearly not here by chance and although there are risks with drawing any conclusions from single examples I am more than willing to stick my neck out with this one.

On the look out for danger above. Single birds have to spend more time looking out for predators compared to birds in a flock.

Stunner.

Waxwing - you are winding me up.

I went to Crawford to check the feeders on Friday afternoon (6th Feb) and there were loads of birds around. A mixed flock of over 50 Tree Sparrows, Yellowhammers and Greenfinches came up from the remnants of the seed on the ground and there were plenty more in the surrounding hedges along with some Chaffinches and Goldfinches. All the feeders were empty or very nearly so making it a timely visit.

I had been planning the next ringing session at Crawford for today but the forecast was for a foggy morning so I opted for yesterday instead. I arrived just after dawn and got the nets up quite quickly. A pre-dawn start isn't required as the birds don't usually start arriving in any number until after sunrise which suits me now that the days are getting longer.

A Blackbird, a Robin, a Yellowhammer and 2 Goldfinch were caught straight away and the next round was even better with 15 bird caught including 4 Tree Sparrows. A very productive ringing session looked to be on the cards when I received two calls from home to tell me there was a Waxwing feeding on one of the apple halves in the garden. At first I thought it was a wind-up as there have been very few in the country this winter but I was was reassured it was there, it was real and feeding quite contentedly.

I just didn't know what to do, should I stay or should I go (now there is a good song). I wasn't sure if I was in the right place at the wrong time or the other way around. Now it isn't as if I haven't seen Waxwings in the garden before and long time readers of this blog will know I had up to 220 feeding in the garden back in spring of 2013 but the allure of Waxwings is such that it doesn't really matter how many you have seen. That attraction is all the greater when it is a Waxwing in your own garden, you haven't seen one for nearly 2 years and it is only the second winter period you have ever had them in your garden. I had to weigh this up against what looked like being my best catch of sparrows, buntings and finches at Crawford this winter including the possibility of catching some much sought after Corn Buntings. What to do????

I decided that I just had to go home just in case the Waxwing didn't linger and even though I knew that my son had already taken some photos of it. There are still plenty of berries around (Cotoneaster, white Rowans and some Hawthorn) so it is not as if there aren't plenty of alternative feeding opportunities available to it. In fact it seemed strange that it found the apples in my garden at all given the other brightly coloured and more abundant options available in the area. Because of this I had asked my son to try and get some photographs of its legs to see if it was ringed as I thought there was a chance that it could be a returning bird from 2013.

It took me a bit longer to get the nets down than I would have liked because I had caught more birds. When I had finally packed up the ringing totals (retraps in brackets) were: Blackbird 1; Song Thrush 1; Robin 2; Blue Tit 6 (1); Tree Sparrow 6; Chaffinch 1; Greenfinch 5; Goldfinch 2 (1); Yellowhammer 2; Reed Bunting 1. Total 27 new birds and 2 retraps,

I got home at about 10:30 to be told the Waxwing had been last seen about 15 minutes previously. I had a quick look at the photos my son had taken and could see it was an adult female which meant there was still a chance that it could be a returning bird but unfortunately he hadn't been able to get an image showing both legs so I couldn't tell if it was ringed or not. The pictures weren't great as some had been taken through the window and in some the bird was also back-lit but they were more than good enough as record shots.

The white fringes of the primaries extend right around the tip indicating it is an adult. 

The diffuse border of the black bib where it meets the breast and relatively narrow yellow tip to the tail are indicative of  it being a female

Unfortunately the bird's legs are obscured in each photo.

I positioned myself at the window and waited and waited. At around 11am it reappeared in the trees just across the road from the garden and it sat there for at least five minutes before flying off when some Goldfinches, that had joined it, suddenly flushed. It returned again an hour later and sat looking down at the garden for around 10 minutes but didn't come down to feed. Other birds were quite jittery at this time so there could have been a cat or a Sparrowhawk lurking somewhere. I continued to looked out for it for the rest of the day but it didn't return. During the afternoon someone was flying a drone on the park just across the road and that may not have helped.

This was my first view of the bird. It sat in a tree opposite the garden for around 5 minutes.

It returned about an hour later but again just sat watching the garden.

Who is looking at who. I can see drones becoming a bit of a nuisance and another source of disturbance to wildlife in some circumstances and if not used with due consideration.

A summary of the legal requirements for flying drones can be found here.

Although I got to see the Waxwing I didn't get to see it as close as I would have liked and, more frustratingly, I wasn't able to confirm if it was wearing a ring or not. It is too early to start Waxwing lyrical again but there is still a chance it may return. Interestingly, in 2013 the first Waxwings appeared in the garden on 10th February (post here) so the timing is remarkably similar. Also the first to start feeding in the garden was an adult female (post here) and she didn't return for a couple of days after her initial visit. Make of that what you will but it is just a bit too much of a coincidence for me. As for what I missed ringing at Crawford by packing up early, well that is anybody's guess but there should be more good days to come there.

I woke up this morning to find the fog had formed as forecast. It wasn't very dense but was thick enough to make mist-nets just a bit too visible to be effective. I kept an eye on the garden all morning but there was no sign of the Waxwing. By lunchtime the fog had thinned so I put an 18ft net up by the feeders while I did some jobs in the garage. I haven't done any mist-netting in the garden for a good while and there were plenty of Goldfinches about. I soon started catching and I caught so well that I didn't get much work done. The ringing totals for the afternoon (retraps in brackets) were: Goldfinch 36 (5), Blackbird 2, Blue Tit 1 (1), Song Thrush 1, Starling (1). Totals 39 new birds and 8 retraps. One of the retrap Goldfinches had been ringed in December 2011 and the retrap Blue Tit had been ringed in September 2011. No sight or sound of the Waxwing all afternoon but I will continue to keep looking and listening.

Waxwing lyrical part 37 - fat but not enough

Well they are still here or 19 of them are to be more precise. They are getting the same care and attention as the first bird did and the hundreds since. I am going to see this through in the same way as I started with the last bird being valued as much as the first. I only need to put out 3kg of apples now but the birds have eaten well over a tonne of apples since the first bird turned up back in February or over 2,200lb if you prefer imperial.



The 19 present today.

 

A tonne of apples works out at around 7,000 apples so that means I have put out around 14,000 apple halves over the past 80 days. Quite a lot of those apples have been put in the trees using the extension ladder and I estimate that I have climbed over 3,000ft in the process. If you total up the number of Waxwings I have seen over the past 80 days it gives a total of 5951 bird days. These figures give an average of 168g of apple per day per bird over the period although I have yet to crunch the numbers in detail and there is some wastage to make an allowance for. The average consumption is likely to be just under 150g per bird each day over the time I have been feeding them.



A very green scene compared to a couple of weeks ago.

I put a couple of nets up this morning and caught 5 of the remaining Waxwings in one catch. They were all retraps although one of these retraps was a control (ringed elsewhere) that I had caught before. None of the birds caught today was particularly heavy so these birds may be around for a few days yet (famous last words). All but one bird had shown a weight gain but all were still under 70g so need to put on a bit more weight before migrating.



Looks quite plump but still needs to put on a few more grams.

A very pear shaped Waxwing, all the weight has gone south on this bird.

Sparrowhawks are still paying the birds quite a bit of attention and usually flush them several times a day but they have not been seen making a kill recently. I grabbed the photo below through the front window yesterday. Today the birds were also flushed by a stunning Hobby which wasn't interested in the Waxwings and was just passing through over the roof tops.

This bird attacked out of the sun early yesterday morning.
One of several failed attacks made yesterday.

A few Blackcaps are still taking advantage of the apples even though there are quite a few insects around now. The bird photographed today may still be on passage rather than being a local breeding bird. Its feeding behaviour was suggestive of it being a migrant and it looks quite fat too.

Male Blackcap.

After the Waxwing catch I went to my ringing site at Longshaw to try and catch up on some of the routine ringing I would normally do at this time of year. I was hoping for a few passage Redpolls and wasn't disappointed. I caught 10 including a control (a bird ringed elsewhere). These birds showed just about every variation in colour you can get in Lesser Redpolls.

The bird on the right is a warm brown colour typical of Lesser Redpolls but the bird on the left is a much colder grey colour with whiter wing bars more suggestive of Common (Mealy) Redpoll.