Latest Waxing Sightings

[rowanwitch]

Sightings 27th Dec: 3 along School Road - Hopeman (Moray), 1 reported at Shirva - Fair Isle on Christmas Day

[gness]

Any Brazilian ones, Rowan?........Sorry... :-)

[sunny-dave]

I think you need to look near the Landing Strip, gness

[Ringlet]

Do you mean WaxWing? If so I am very excited about this. Some of my fellow Facebook posters in Northern Ireland have posted picture of WaxWings in their gardens but try as I might, i have never been able to attract them to my garden.
Have you any tips for attracting them to a bird feeding station?

[sunny-dave]

They love red berries - so if you have hawthorn or rowan trees then you are in with a chance.

It's been reported that quartered red apples can attract them too - impale the apple pieces on sticks with the red side facing up.

Supermarket car parks are a surprisingly good place to spot waxwings if they are in your area - often lots of cotoneaster bushes and rowan trees.

[sunny-dave]

This site will help with finding waxwings in NI

http://nibirds.blogspot.com/search?q=waxwing&max-results=20&by-date=true

[Ringlet]

Ah! I have both - I have a hawthorn and a glorious rowan that produce beautiful berries but I've never seen a waxwing.
I'll try the red apples on sticks trick.
I'm also trying to attract the golden finches with Niger seeds.
My neighbour here in Northern Ireland gets flocks of thirty or more of the golden ones who come to her niger and sunflower hearts feeders, but none ever come to mine.
I'm so disappointed and can't think what might be putting them off.

[rowanwitch]

Waxwings tend to come in major irruptions every few years. When they do they can appear in large numbers starting in North East Scotland and gradually working down and across the country. Tends to be when either there is an exceptionally hard winter in Siberia, or the berry crop fails. Last big one was 2012 if I remember. I was stuck in Birmingham, Redman saw a large flock in Bangor.

[rowanwitch]

Sightings 30th Dec: jct of Rieket Lane and McMillan Avenue - Elgin (Moray)

[rowanwitch]

Sightings 9th Jan: behind visitor centre at Sculthorpe Moor NR (Norfolk), Sea Lawn - Cley next the Sea (Norfolk)
7th Jan: Sea Lawn/Garden of Thrums - Cley next the Sea (Norfolk), Sculthorpe Moor NR (Norfolk), 2 in private garden - Prudhoe (Northumb), Sletts Park - Lerwick (Shetland