Friday 13 March 2020

A Whole Week of Waxing

This week we broke with the tradition built up over the last 17 years.  Instead of going to four different venues every day, each group went to the same locations to see the same birds.  The Tuesday group enjoyed the Waxwings so much, it was evident that every other group deserved a visit to see these charismatic birds too. 

On Tuesday we dropped everything for the Waxwings.   This was a "lifer" for several participants, including the two from Cloughton.  Another member hadn't seen one since the 250 off Preston Road more than a decade ago.  It was remarked that they were one of the highlights of the term, and therefore of the year so far.  The actual situation the Waxwings were in was a bit of a nightmare - almost gale force winds and the thundering lorries on both sides of the hedge from which they were trying to extract berries.  
Waxwing
 On the head, son
 Showing off the Wax
 The sun makes a difference
 ditto
 Crest
 From the first visit it became clear that two birds were ringed.  The colours of one were lime over green over green on its left leg, and a metal BTO ring over yellow on its right leg. This was ringed as a young adult male on 7 December 2019 at Woodside, Aberdeen. It was then reported from a Lidl at Thirsk on 30 December. Thanks to James Robson for this info.
Another ringed individual 

Steve Clipperton posted details from the ringers website, and I will try and repost that here:
Blue Tit
 Coal Tit
 Chaffinch
 Goldcrest
 Quizzical Crest
 Treecreeper
 ditto
 ditto
On Wednesday we followed the same procedure as on Tuesday, but this time it was done both am and pm.  
Waxwing in flight
 Taking a Hawthorn berry
 Flying Waxwings
 Zoomed in
 Carrying a berry
 More Waxwings
 A Ringed Individual
 Male Waxwing
Waxwing (c) 2020 Symon Fraser
 ditto
 Ringed Bird (c) 2020 Symon Fraser
Drinking Waxwings
 ditto
 Male Drinking Bird
Waxwings against Lorry background! (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart
 Waxwing Portrait (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart
Flying (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart 
 Crest Fallen (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart
Then off to the Humber bridge Country park again. 
Goldcrest
 ditto
 Chaffinch
Great Tit (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart
 Goldcrest (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart
 ditto
 ditto

After the Wednesday morning class, several participants went on to Ness End.  Here they heard a booming Bittern, but they didn't catch sight of it.  They did see Great Crested Grebes.
Great Crested Grebe (c) 2020 Tony Robinson
 Great Crested Grebe [right] (c) 2020 Tony Robinson
 Meadow Pipit (c) 2020 Tony Robinson
 ditto
 Cormorant
The Thursday classes also went to see the Waxwings.  They were a new species for at least one participant.  However, they were the closest of these birds we've ever seen, although the surroundings may very well have been the least salubrious.  
A More Natural Watering-Hole (c) 2020 Paul Green
 Male Waxwing (c) 2020 Paul Green
Coming down to drink
 Male [right]
 drinking
 Treecreeper
Treecreeper (c) 2020 Paul Green

 Chiffchaff
 ditto
 Little Grebe
 Moorhen
 Song Thrush
 Injured Newt
On Friday a Weds am class member took her car in to the dealership, so took the opportunity of taking a photo in less wind and in brighter light than was possible on Wednesday.
"Bad Hair Day" Waxwing (c) 2020 Lynn Hall
The standard classes proceeded on the same lines as those operated on every other day of the week.  Friday was the least windy day of the week, so the Waxwings appeared more relaxed and their crests often showed to better effect.  
Waxwings (c) 2020 Jane Robinson
 ditto
 ditto
 ditto
 ditto
 Goldcrest (c) 2020 Jane Robinson
I know a lot of people don't like Corvids (all 19 of them), but the light on this particular Magpie's tail was extremely effective in the Humber Bridge Country Park.  The pm group saw a Peregrine very high over the Waxwings, but they seemed unaware of its existence.  
Magpie
 ditto
Just before setting off this morning a male Sparrowhawk was plucking a small dark bird (Dunnock?) in the garden.  When I got back our new garden visitor was picking up seed dropped by the Goldfinches.
 Sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawk 
 Pheasant

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