Saturday 27 December 2008

Waxwings and Wagtails

The festive treat this year in East Kent has been the arrival of seven, then another twenty, Waxwings at B&Q. Shoppers have been treated to the unusual sight of apparently normal men and women scurrying around with telescopes and cameras, gazing into the treetops. Some drivers were so concerned that they stopped to ask what we were doing - others just beeped their horns (hohoho).
Elsewhere, some remarkable photos of these stunning birds have been posted - I was just pleased to see the birds in daylight after the dark days before Christmas.
The berries are going fast - where will they go next, I wonder......Sainsburys?
While waiting for the Waxwings to fly down for their next predation, we watched other birds taking their share, including a nice Redwing.
A necessary trip to Loose (look it up) followed, with a walk along the lovely stream.

A Grey Wagtail flitted along; a female, I think, judging by the lack of black throat.To shake off the shady image of being a birder, I spent the afternoon watching Dover Athletic beat Maidstone United 3-0. Much more normal people there, of course.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos..I have never seen a waxwing in person...

NW Nature Nut said...

Great photos. Looks like it was a treat to see the Waxwings. I think Mr. Nut would agree...you must balance birding with a bit of sports. (I balance it with crafts.)

Greenie said...

Steve ,
Think you've OD'd on the Waxwings now , time to send them to the West of the County , please .
We have Supermarkets too !

Mary said...

Looks like that tree is a goldmine for attracting birds! How lovely to have a tree of waxwings! The only time I ever see them, they are too far away and the sightings have been seldom. I need to plant one of those trees! Your other photos are great, too...you've seen a lot of lovely birds recently.

Warren Baker said...

I totally agree with Greenie Steve, come on, send them over!

Kingsdowner said...

OK guys, it seems that they're on the move so I hope you'll be lucky. This is the first irruption since I've been in the birding loop.

Mary, they seem to like Rowan/Mountain Ash best - I think I'll planty a couple just in case.

RW & NW, thanks...however, balancing sports with nature means getting cold all day!

Seth and Michelle said...

What wonderful photos. We have been Waxwing-less so far this winter. So if you're willing to share...