Waxwing

On Tuesday, a member of FoSCP saw a waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) in the copse at the bottom of Kestrel Field. He didn’t get a picture and there was nobody to confirm the sighting so it hasn’t been added to our species lists yet. If you have seen it, or photographed it, please contact us.

Waxwings are winter visitors from northern Europe, more commonly seen in the east of the UK, which makes Tuesday’s sighting even more exciting. This year they arrived early and in exceptional numbers. The RSPB said:

The UK looks set to see the largest Waxwing irruption in a decade this winter, poor berry crops in Finland and Sweden have apparently pushed Waxwings much further […] [T]hey’re winter visitors coming from Scandinavia when food supplies are low. In irruption years Waxwings start to arrive in larger numbers in November or later, with birds filtering down to the UK in flocks where there is suitable food.

If there is a waxwing (or even a flock) in the reserve, it will be hard to miss. While waxwings are small birds, not even as big as a starling, they wear a crest of feathers on their heads, a black highwayman’s mask across a red face, and a bright yellow band at the end of their tails. This far out on the edge of their normal range, our visitor might well be travelling alone but waxwings more usually congregate in flocks.

Take your binoculars next time you go walking in the reserve, be vigilant; this is a species we would love to add to our lists.