Waxwings in the Brecon Beacons.
24th January 2019
There hasn’t been a significant Waxwing irruption this winter and therefore it was a surprise to hear of seven birds feeding on mistletoe berries in a local town about seven miles from where I live.
There have been many reports from Scotland and northern England but that’s not unusual because they’re there every year. The norm is that it has to be a really big irruption before any are seen in this area. However, I was cautiously optimistic because there had been one or two birds reported in mid-Wales and also twelve in Hereford, just over the border.
These local birds were first spotted by a visiting birder on his way back home from this area, purely by chance, as is the norm.
Unfortunately these birds were feeding on mistletoe berries in some apple trees outside a primary school and judiciously I waited for the morning’s activities to subside and the children to go into school because you really can’t be too careful these days. Even if it is obvious what you are doing there is still an element in today’s society that will complain just for the sake of it.
When I arrived there was no one there and I could immediately see seven birds in the apple trees, there was no activity in the playground, so I filled my boots. Waxwings are easy to photograph because they are so confiding and it’s just a matter of isolating a bird or two for a photograph. Frustratingly there are very few red berries at the site so a colourful shot is not possible but it’s always a treat to see these special birds.
For more images see; Latest Images, Waxwings in the Brecon Beacons.
There have been many reports from Scotland and northern England but that’s not unusual because they’re there every year. The norm is that it has to be a really big irruption before any are seen in this area. However, I was cautiously optimistic because there had been one or two birds reported in mid-Wales and also twelve in Hereford, just over the border.
These local birds were first spotted by a visiting birder on his way back home from this area, purely by chance, as is the norm.
Unfortunately these birds were feeding on mistletoe berries in some apple trees outside a primary school and judiciously I waited for the morning’s activities to subside and the children to go into school because you really can’t be too careful these days. Even if it is obvious what you are doing there is still an element in today’s society that will complain just for the sake of it.
When I arrived there was no one there and I could immediately see seven birds in the apple trees, there was no activity in the playground, so I filled my boots. Waxwings are easy to photograph because they are so confiding and it’s just a matter of isolating a bird or two for a photograph. Frustratingly there are very few red berries at the site so a colourful shot is not possible but it’s always a treat to see these special birds.
For more images see; Latest Images, Waxwings in the Brecon Beacons.