waxwings invade the UK

hi all Brits & Paddys

have you seen these gorgeous birds that originate in the tundra of northern europe? They are here in thousands at the moment and will be with us until late March before they head back to breed.
The bird is the size of a Starling and has a similar flight. The body is covered in soft silky feathers which are the colour of pinky brown and they have a short stumpy crest sticking out from the back of the head. Under the bill is a black bib that stands out from the colour of the rest of the feathers. The wings have patches of white and yellow. Each wing has some feathers that have a red sealing wax tips hence the name Waxwing.

From time to time large numbers of Waxwings leave their native forests and head south. This is often after very heavy snowfall that hides their food. During the winter the main diet for Waxwings is fruits of Rowan, Cotoneaster, hips and haws. Sometimes there are huge irruptions of birds – called Waxwing years – when the winter crop of berries has failed. The birds then fly southwest and end up in England and Scotland. In exceptional circumstances Waxwings reach the island of Ireland as they roam far and wide in search of food. By the time they reach here the only food left are the small red berries fruit of Cotoneaster. The years that the birds reach us are so infrequent that they may only be seen once or twice in a lifetime.

So if you see a flock of birds that look like escaped cage birds you now know what they are.

Still not sure? Here is where to find a photo on the ‘net

http://www.zoo.uib.no/turoy/images/sidensv.htm

Hello Mark! Haven't seen them this winter yet. Remember seeing a flock of them a number of years ago. They definitely are very pretty birds. I'll keep a watch for them again.

We had a flock of long-tailed tits here a few days go. The're real charmers as well. They were doing acrobatics on a neighbour's fruit tree.

here are some photos that I took during the week. they are in my cage bird photo album butI dont have them in my aviary. the photos are in there for convenience

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1389828&a=10464081

Delightful!! Thank you Mark.

Hi Mark
Thanks for the information and photos of the waxwings. The last time I saw these was in the 1960s , as a schoolgirl in Co Antrim !
Jane

Mark
Your birds are beautiful as are the waxwings. I was just staring at a beautiful picture of the waxwings yesterday in the Feb/March issue of birds n blooms. Someone got a great picture of the male and female feeding thier young in the nest. The birds are stunning! Absolutely beautiful.

I don't have an aviary...wish I did. I have a few cockatiels that I just love, just about everyone in my family has some type of lovely winged creature.