Waxwing lyrical part 25 - more coming than going

What an interesting few days it has been since my last post. A different colour-ringed bird was found in the flock. This bird had a black over a white colour ring on the left leg and a BTO metal ring on the right leg and would have been noticed had it been present sooner. This confirms that new birds are joining the flock all the time. I have just received the ringing details for this bird and it was ringed in Kincorth, Aberdeen on 16/11/12 and was one of the early birds to arrive there. Thank you to Raymond Duncan from Grampian ringing group for the information.

New kid on the block.

New kid on the block.

This bird was also photographed by a couple of birders who very kindly brought me some apples. Ric and Stephen had travelled from the other side of Manchester by public transport to see these birds and were well rewarded for their efforts. Ric had a rucksack full of apples which the Waxwings have already enjoyed such is the quantity they are eating. The birds frequently showed well in large numbers and when a Sparrowhawk did flush them they were kept occupied with the Bramblings and other birds at the feeding station in the park across the road.

The flush, or a very small part of it.



Male Sparrowhawk through the trees and cause of all the trouble.
My blog photos are taken in the time period described as I want to
illustrate the period as seen rather than show a stock shot.

I blogged too soon when I said I thought numbers had peaked in my last post. There were 120+ on Wednesday morning but there could have been quite a few more. There were at least that many the same evening and more apples were eaten than on any  other day. Yesterday morning started off in similar vein and it was a good job that I had doubled up the apples on most of the branch pegs that I use.

The birds flushed at one point before I went to work and I grabbed a great photo of a large part of the flock sitting in a birch tree. There are at least 120 birds in one photo whether you believe it or not and there were at least 30 other birds sat in other trees so this represents a new peak of 150+
.

A few of the many yesterday morning.



Most of the many yesterday.
There are at least 120  birds in this shot, oh yes there are.

I have decided that they will leave in their own good time whatever it costs now. I am in too deep to give up or draw back despite the cost. This was helped by a good supply of apples and pears from Sainsbury's today although I did buy and additional 10kg as back-up.

 

I couldn't resist including this long staying individual. 6 weeks+ and counting.
 

And everyone a stunner and this adult male certainly is.

Waxwing lyrical part 24 - cost a Bombycilla

The expense of feeding the Waxwings has really hit home over the past few days with over 100 present for several days now and a peak of 130+ on April 1st. They have been getting through 10 to 12 kg of apples each day and the freebies have been in short supply. I have no one but myself to blame as I have brought this on myself and I could have stopped at anytime. These birds are used to moving on when they have exhausted a food supply so stopping feeding them shouldn't have presented a problem, or would it in our messed up world. The fact is I couldn't stop as this is very likely to be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I have to say what a privilege it has been.

A few of the birds early morning viewed from the comfort of an arm chair..

A few of the birds in the afternoon glow.



A few more birds in the strong afternoon sunshine.

A constant food supply means that any build up or fall off in their numbers is influenced by other factors such as availability of other food sources or the urge to migrate. I have been keeping daily records of their numbers and behaviours and have developed a real respect for the life skills of these birds. Gorgeous they may be but they are real survivors: feisty, adaptable, selfish yet gregarious and did I mention gorgeous. Others have described them as the perfect bird and if Carlsberg made birds they wouldn't be as good as Waxwings so that is one in the eye for Carlsberg and the ad-men.

They really contort themselves at times when feeding.

The bird on the left is the Estonian ringed bird which has been visiting the garden for more than 5 weeks now.

I think numbers may have peaked now and the birds will start to head east back towards their breeding grounds. Some of the birds caught in the past few days have had significant fat deposits. This is best exemplified by a retrap caught today that weighed 70.5 g and only weighed 60g on 14th March, that is around a 17% increase in body weight. Not only have they been building up weight in the form of fat but they have clearly been building up muscle too. Some birds have shown weight gains with no significant fat deposits but muscle definition has clearly improved.

Fab four, a few of the many feeding this evening.

I may not be Waxwing lyrical for much longer but I hope you have enjoyed it while I have.

There will be no looking back when this bird finally heads off east.

 

Waxwing lyrical part 23 - they just keep coming

I never imagined I would ever get 120 Waxwings in my small front garden when that first bird turned up all those weeks ago. In fact I never expected to get that first bird although I had planted cotoneasters and rowans in the hope that I just might one day. I certainly didn't expect to spend so much time cutting apples in half and putting them out in trees not to mention the expense. When I wrote the first Waxwing lyrical post I didn't think there would be a part 2 let alone a part 23 but here we are.

I started to come down with a stinker of cold last night but I got up early anyway to see how many birds would turn up. I didn't have to wait long before the first group of about 20 arrived. A succession of small flocks joined the initial group and soon there were at least 122 birds in the trees along the road. They flushed a couple of times before dropping down to feed but when they did they really gorged themselves.

Waxwings gathering in the trees along the road from the garden this morning.

The birds disappeared for a while in the afternoon having eaten the bulk of the apples so I took the opportunity to put out some more and to tidy some of the apple debris in the garden. The majority of the birds reappeared later in the afternoon and continued feeding until around 6:30. I did do a bit of ringing again as at least half the birds in the flock were unringed. I caught  another 15 new Waxwings and only 5 retraps. I also saw the regular colour-ringed bird from Aberdeen and Estonian ringed bird.

It is interesting that there are so many new birds and yet a good number of long stayers. We have now caught 134 new birds and 3 controls. Some of the long stayers such as the colour ringed bird have been feeding in the garden for more than 6 weeks now but some of the birds we have ringed have clearly moved on. There is so much we don't know or understand and that is one of the reasons I enjoy ringing so much, another is to be able to get up close to stunning creatures like the Waxwing in the photograph below.

A stonking adult male Waxwing ringed this evening. They are just magical birds.
There has been a steady procession of people coming to see them over the past few weeks.
They have certainly generated a lot of interest and probably got a few more people into birding.

Ringing totals for 31/03/13 with retraps in brackets.
Waxwing 15 (5)
Great Tit 1
Siskin (2)
Blue Tit (1)
Totals 16 (8)+

Waxwing lyrical part 22 - it's all in the preparation

I spent more than two hours putting the food out last night in preparation for a ringing session this morning. I used up my remaining stock of cotoneaster berries in addition to the usual apples. Tying the sprigs of berries onto branches takes a long time especially in the dark and in sub zero temperatures. I worked on the assumption that around 90 birds would turn up and put half the food high in the trees and the remainder lower down at mist-net height. The aim being to catch a sample of the birds without the majority noticing.

I was joined by John G at 05:15 this morning and we put up two 18ft nets. The first Waxwings arrived at 06:40 but we weren't able to get an accurate count as some birds started feeding while others were still arriving. One thing we did know is there were a lot. There seems to be a new urgency to their feeding as they now spend far less time sat in the top of the trees preening before dropping down to feed. This is probably driven by the need to put on fat to be ready for the long return migration to their breeding grounds.



There were so many birds a few fed on fallen pieces of apple on the ground.

A few birds were soon caught and we were able to extract them with the remainder of the flock still sat in the trees or feeding on the higher apples above us. The first round of the nets produced 13 new birds and 3 retraps. After this the sun started to shine on the nets and the catching rate dropped off so we took one net down and furled the other. Later in the morning a bit of cloud cover allowed me to open the furled net briefly and I managed to catch a few more. Some of the birds caught were heavier than of late and were starting to develop fat deposits. This confirmed my suspicions about the noticeable change in their feeding behaviour over the past couple of days.

Three of the Waxwings ringed this morning.

The birds did all sit at the top of the trees from time to time and a count from a photograph showed there to be at least 120, a new peak count. By lunchtime more than half of the apples had been eaten so I topped them up with another 50 or 60 apple halves.  With consumption increasing and apples stocks running low I went to Sainsbury's to see if they had any discards. Unfortunately they didn't so I bought another 16kg of apples to add to the 12 kg that John had brought me. Hopefully this will last a couple of days.

Just part of the flock this morning.
It doesn't look like it but there are about 100 birds in this photo.
Another 20 or so were sat in an adjacent tree.

The nutter who buys loads of apples.

Apples for Waxwings and red wine for me.

I haven't eaten an apple in months but I was tempted by a homemade apple pie and custard tonight. To be honest this is probably the only way I will want to eat apple for a long time after this.

The only way I will eat apples for a while.

Ringing totals for 30/03/13 with retraps in brackets.
Waxwing 19 (9)
Siskin 1 (1)
Dunnock (1)
Blue Tit (1)
Total 20 (12)

Waxwing watching is better than any TV.

Waxwing lyrical part 21 - live well for less

I have been quite busy over the past few days and have been up before first light each day. I am now getting up at around 5am which is far too early for me and leaves me bog-eyed by early evening and generally too tired to post anything. The tiredness usually hits me when I come into the warm after putting out the apples in the evening. This can take between one and two hours and it usually gets to 7pm or later before I have finished this daily task as the birds can still be feeding up to around 5:30pm. I started to write a post last night but fell asleep part way through with the laptop on my knee.

Apple preparation. This represents around one quarter of the apples that I put out each evening although this seems set to increase after today.

The number of Waxwings varies day to day and through the day but they are spending more time in the garden and they also have longer to feed with the increasing day length. The peak count over the past few days was 84 on the 26th but between 40 and 60 is more typical. Apple consumption is now at least 8kg each day and was becoming increasingly expensive. I approached my local Sainsbury's with some pictures I had taken and they kindly agreed to donate any apples they withdraw from sale. This has helped my pocket although I am still buying a lot of apples as the Waxwings are eating more each day. I also received a donation from a local photographer that was greatly appreciated.



Live well for less Waxwing style.

First donation of apples from Sainsbury's received with thanks.

The wind finally eased enough to allow some mist netting and I tried to catch some Waxwings on Wednesday. John G joined me but our tactics weren't quite right and we only caught 4 new birds in the short session. I went to my baited site near Haigh afterwards where I was far more successful catching 33 new birds and 35 retraps despite the increasing breeze. Highlight was my first Lesser Redpoll coming to the nyjer seed feeders along with a few Siskin, Goldfinch and Brambling. I put a net up for the Waxwings again yesterday morning and managed to catch 10 (6 new & 4 retraps) before the wind got too strong.


Adult male Lesser Redpoll.

A fine male Brambling wearing through into breeding plumage.

I collected a sack of apples from Sainsbury's yesterday and put out well over 100 apple halves in the evening. This morning the Waxwings arrived earlier under a clear sky and I counted 84 before they descended into the garden to feed. I didn't watch them for long as I needed to go up to Haigh to top up the feeders. I decided to do a bit of guerrilla pruning en route and I stopped off at a location where the bushes were still covered in berries. I had just got out of the car when I heard a familiar trilling overhead and I looked up to see 6 Waxwings perched in a tree above the cotoneasters. I will leave these berries to the birds now that they have found them. They will probably strip the bushes clean in a day or so if a sizable flock comes to feed.

When I got up to Haigh I decided to put up a couple of nets for a while but it wasn't long before the sun rose enough to shine on the nets and make them easy for the birds to see. In between net rounds I noticed a fox dozing in the sun on an ivy covered mound. Unfortunately I didn't have my DSLR gear with me or my travel zoom but I still grabbed a few shots with my compact camera that only has a 2x magnification zoom. The image crops haven't turned out too bad all things considered. Hopefully it uses this spot regularly and I will get another opportunity.

I packed up by 10:30 having caught 13 new birds and 8 retraps. Just before I set off I got a call from home and was told that there were hardly any apples left in the trees. I dashed home via Sainsbury's but they didn't have many discards this time so I bought their remaining stock of their basic range apples, just over 10 kg of them. When I got home there were plenty of Waxwings but they were feeding on cotoneaster horizontalis which grows up the side of our neighbours house and our garden fence. Others were feeding on pieces of apple that had fallen to the ground and a some were squabbling over the few remaining apples in the trees. I quickly halved most of the apples I had just bought and restocked the trees.

I do take the labels off  and removed them after taking the photos.

30 to 40 Waxwings came back down to feed almost immediately and continued to do so on and off during the afternoon. However, another group has just arrived and there are now at least 70 or 80 in the garden as I write this post (16:25). The trees and bushes are alive with Waxwings and and a few birds are feeding on the ground. I estimate they will have eaten more than 10kg of apples by the end of today. It is likely that they are running out of other feeding options and the apples in the garden are becoming their mainstay. The birds all flew up into a tree across the road and I grabbed a quick photo. On close examination there were 90 give or take the odd 1 or 2.

circa 90 Waxwings in tree across from the garden at 16:50 today. The biggest flock to date.

Ringing totals for 27th - 29th March with retraps in brackets.
Waxwing 10 (4)
Fieldfare 1
Blackbird 3 (3)
Goldfinch 8 (5)
Chaffinch 6 (6)
Siskin 10 (6)
Lesser Redpoll 1
Brambling 3 (1)
Greenfinch 4 (7)
Bullfinch (1)
Coal Tit 3 (3)Blue Tit 5 (10)
Great Tit 3 (1)
Long-tailed Tit (3)
Dunnock 2
Robin 1 (1)
Total 61 (50)

Despite the record number of Waxwings in the garden today one of the most interesting sightings over the past few days has been a juvenile Wood pigeon that I photographed yesterday. It has been reared through some very harsh conditions given the weather over the past few weeks and the egg must have been laid in late January or early February if not before.



Juvenile Woodpigeon. The nest this bird was reared in must have been constructed in January.
It has done very well to survive the weather of the past few weeks.

Woodpigeon and Waxwing, not something you expect to see together.
This Woodpigeon could be the parent to the juvenile above and probably took
advantage of garden feeding to be able to breed so early in such harsh weather conditions.

More of the same

I wasn't going to post anything on the blog today but there was some brightness, especially in the afternoon, and it allowed me to get a few good photos. Up to 69 Waxwings visited the garden throughout the day and they really shifted the apples. They were helped by 3 Fieldfares, several Blackbirds and 2 Blackcaps much as yesterday. I have put some of the photos into a video rather than posting individual shots. I hope you enjoy them.

More apples were eaten today than on any previous day and I had to top them up in the afternoon. I have put out just short of 100 apple halves tonight but I don't think that is enough to last all day tomorrow if today's consumption is anything to go by. I have no apples left in stock and will need to go and do some serious apple shopping tomorrow.

More than just Waxwings

I fell asleep on the couch again last night as all the early starts are really catching up with me. I woke up at 05:30 when my son got up to go to work to find there was good covering of snow. At least six inches of snow had fallen over the previous 24 hours and it was still snowing. I had to push his car off the drive by which time I was well and truly awake so I decided to stay up and wait for the Waxwings to arrive.

Only 6 Waxwings arrived at the usual time but there was loads of other activity in the garden. An unringed female Blackcap caught my attention but a little while later the ringed female appeared. There was quite a bit of aggression between these two birds with each trying to chase the other off. They were far more relaxed in the company of other species and it was interesting to watch them feeding with a Robin, House Sparrows, Blackbird and Goldfinch. Watching a Blackcap feeding on the ground with House Sparrows just doesn't seem quite right.

The snow and apples brought quite a few thrushes to the garden and Redwing was the only one I didn't manage to photograph although I did hear one several times. Three Fieldfares tried to stake their claim to the apples and a particularly well marked individual eventually won the battle for the garden. The other two were relegated to apples I had put in the trees in the park across the road. Two Mistle Thrushes sneaked into the garden and were particularly furtive. It amazes me how shy and secretive they can be for such a big bird. The local Song Thrush also put in a appearance as did numerous Blackbirds.

 

The number of Waxwings did increase and 58 were present by mid-morning. The Estonian ringed bird was photographed again. One Waxwing tried to defend the apples in the main feeding tree and drove the others off for a while giving alarm calls as it did so. I didn't stay and watch all day as much as I was tempted to. I went and bought some bird seed and topped up the feeders at one of my baited sites negotiating 5 foot high snow drifts in the process.

When I got back the apples had clearly been battered so I put some more out. Around a dozen Waxwings reappeared and fed until late afternoon. Tonight I spent another finger numbing hour or so putting out apples in the trees ready for tomorrow. I will probably be up early again in the morning although a lie-in is really tempting.

Collared Dove feeling the cold.