It took 4 years, 22 days, 2 hours, and 20 minutes, but I have done it at last. At 16:10 today, I had my second ever encounter with a Waxwing.
In 2012, when I was relatively new to birdwatching, I came across their page in my book, and from that moment on I wanted to see one. When I saw in the papers in November that it was an invasion year, I became obsessed with them. I lived and breathed Waxwings, and could think of nothing else for weeks on end. I had only ever seen them in books, but I thought that they were the most beautiful birds on the entire planet.
Every bird I saw was suspected of being a Waxwing, until, of course, I looked at it and proved that it was not. This was true up until the 3rd of January 2013, when, on the way to my local supermarket, I saw a bird in the trees to my left at 13:50. It had a large, prominent crest. A Waxwing!
My brief experience with these fantastic birds lasted only 10 minutes, but I remember every detail like it was yesterday. The birds were even more beautiful and incredible than I could ever have imagined. I had Waxwings above my head, and I had Waxwings in front of my face. There were 9 of them in all. Although we were separated by a 12-foot fence, the birds were remarkably tame. I could observe every little detail of their plumage, including those waxy red tips for which they are named. It was simply brilliant.
Every year after that, I have eagerly waited to see whether the winter will be a "Waxwing winter," although knowing that it could well be 20 years until they invaded the UK in such numbers as in 2012/13. This winter is the first since in which reasonable numbers have arrived, although not quite in plague proportions. Since late October, I have been searching each and every shrub, bush, or tree with berries near me daily.
And, of course, it paid off. I left the house this afternoon and crossed the road to go through a little green pathway between my street and the next. A bird flew out of the berry -bearing bushes to my left into a Goat Willow. I turned and stopped in my tracks. Like my first, I saw it in silhouette, but the crest was distinctive. I stood still and watched it for 2 or 3 minutes, awestruck. I just couldn't believe that I had finally found another one. It was a lone bird, but I didn't care about that. Eventually, it flew over my head and out of sight, uttering that beautiful trill, like a little bell ringing. It made my day!
So, it took 4 years, 22 days, 2 hours, and 20 minutes, but the wait was worth every second. And I will wait, no matter how long it takes, until my next encounter with the greatest bird in the world.
In 2012, when I was relatively new to birdwatching, I came across their page in my book, and from that moment on I wanted to see one. When I saw in the papers in November that it was an invasion year, I became obsessed with them. I lived and breathed Waxwings, and could think of nothing else for weeks on end. I had only ever seen them in books, but I thought that they were the most beautiful birds on the entire planet.
Every bird I saw was suspected of being a Waxwing, until, of course, I looked at it and proved that it was not. This was true up until the 3rd of January 2013, when, on the way to my local supermarket, I saw a bird in the trees to my left at 13:50. It had a large, prominent crest. A Waxwing!
My brief experience with these fantastic birds lasted only 10 minutes, but I remember every detail like it was yesterday. The birds were even more beautiful and incredible than I could ever have imagined. I had Waxwings above my head, and I had Waxwings in front of my face. There were 9 of them in all. Although we were separated by a 12-foot fence, the birds were remarkably tame. I could observe every little detail of their plumage, including those waxy red tips for which they are named. It was simply brilliant.
Every year after that, I have eagerly waited to see whether the winter will be a "Waxwing winter," although knowing that it could well be 20 years until they invaded the UK in such numbers as in 2012/13. This winter is the first since in which reasonable numbers have arrived, although not quite in plague proportions. Since late October, I have been searching each and every shrub, bush, or tree with berries near me daily.
And, of course, it paid off. I left the house this afternoon and crossed the road to go through a little green pathway between my street and the next. A bird flew out of the berry -bearing bushes to my left into a Goat Willow. I turned and stopped in my tracks. Like my first, I saw it in silhouette, but the crest was distinctive. I stood still and watched it for 2 or 3 minutes, awestruck. I just couldn't believe that I had finally found another one. It was a lone bird, but I didn't care about that. Eventually, it flew over my head and out of sight, uttering that beautiful trill, like a little bell ringing. It made my day!
So, it took 4 years, 22 days, 2 hours, and 20 minutes, but the wait was worth every second. And I will wait, no matter how long it takes, until my next encounter with the greatest bird in the world.