waxwing desire

[erik]

Yesterday i read on the dutchbirding alert page that some waxwings were seen about 6 miles from my house. It's in a village where my train to College also stops, so i decideed to leave earlier and then get off the train at the right place. Sadly the clouds wept down on me while i held my little (broken) umbrella above my head. I finally found the place, which i thought was a street, but it turned out to be a huge terrain, with living facilties for mentally disabled people. So there wasn't a way i would ever find those birds in the puring rain. After 20 minutes i simply gave up and took the nearby bus, which also stops right in front of my school. I praise myself for taking this trip, eventho i failed :) Now i'm still soaked...but that's just temporary i hope :cat:

[IanF]

SOunds like my experiences last year. We had several trips out hunting for them in places they'd been sighted. Several trips were of 100 miles round trip, without joy. Then in December they turned up right on my doorstep in Billingham and we've had several sightings.

Just shows Erik, if you wait long enough they may come to you too !

[erik]

Ian,

my plans have been settled. As soon as i own a house, i plant the backyard full with berrybushes. That just has to be tempting enough for them to come and spend the entire winter in my backyard :)

[Paul 42]

Very brave of you Erik :t: Hope you dried out ok! I'm sure the Waxies waited till you went to school then came out to play! Better luck next time.

[KCFoggin]

Just don't give up Erik For 4 years I was told by my local audubon guy that my chances of seeing the goldfinch this close to the beach were slim to none. Well this past spring a solitary goldfinch finally appeared at my feeder. I was certainly a happy camper. When you least expect it, a waxwing will appear.

[IanF]

Originally posted by erik
Ian,

my plans have been settled. As soon as i own a house, i plant the backyard full with berrybushes. That just has to be tempting enough for them to come and spend the entire winter in my backyard :)

In that case make sure the bushes are Eleaegnus pungens - they're the ones the Waxwings in N.America were so desperate for that hundreds got killed as they dashed across the road to get to the berries !

[erik]

Ianf,

waxwings seem to be attracted to Viburnum opulus
a lot here. So maybe thats an idea for my future yard...