davidtucker
Well-known member
Currently, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of waxwings in the uk, I am slightly confused, will the waxwings remain in the UK for the winter, or continue a migration elsewhere???
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Waxwings (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter davidtucker
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Cheshire Birder
Well-known member
They should spend the winter here and head back in March. Birds always arrive first in Scotland & NE England then gradually move SW across the country as food supplies run out.
CB
stevo
Well-known member
theconstantwalker
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_constant_walker/?
Amazing isn't the half of it Steve. What wonderful pictures . Many thanks for adding the link. :t::t: I saw my first ever Waxwings just yesterday in Cheshire.:-O:-O
whatsupduck
Member
Great link ! Exactly what makes me keep going out all those amazing experiences. I still haven't seen the Yarmouth flock I am not jealous much:storm:
Have there been any new significant arrivals in Britian since the impressive arrivals in Scotland a couple of weeks back - I get the idea this will not be an amazing year for them. A very good early arrival, those filtering down will ensure a good scatter through Britain, but without further arrivals hardly record breaking.
Very low numbers filtering south so far here in eastern Europe - all past major arrivals in the UK preceeding by massive numbers here. This indicates to me no broad front movement as yet, thus nothing to back up the earlier UK arrivals.
This now said, expect ten thousand on the British east coast next week to prove me wrong
Very low numbers filtering south so far here in eastern Europe - all past major arrivals in the UK preceeding by massive numbers here. This indicates to me no broad front movement as yet, thus nothing to back up the earlier UK arrivals.
This now said, expect ten thousand on the British east coast next week to prove me wrong
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edenwatcher
Well-known member
Numbers here are unprecedented. Glasgow has had its biggest ever flock. I have seen far more in Fife than previously and have self-found at least 5 flocks.
I guess they are filtering south quite slowly because the berry crop is so large.
Rob
I guess they are filtering south quite slowly because the berry crop is so large.
Rob
I reckon this has already been the second-best winter ever for Waxwings around Aberdeen and numbers have been quite similar to the 2004 influx with counts of individual flocks into four figures. Personally I've actually seen more than I did in 2004.
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
I think you are spot on Andrew. Almost, but not quite, up there with 2004-05. I actually saw a larger flock in 2008-09 than in either this year or 2004-05, but I think that was a briefer, more concentrated invasion in Aberdeen as berries were in short supply.
I don't know if peak flock size is the best indicator of the size of an invasion (as it will be affected by berry availability), but the graph below, which shows the peak flock size in Aberdeen for the past 35+ years (estimates for the past 2 years), does suggest that the 3 major invasions we have had in the past decade have been much bigger than anything previous in my lifetime. It would be interesting to know why this is happening.
Attachments
I wonder if at least part of the reason for the greater abundance is because of a greater food supply. Most of the Waxwings in Aberdeen are feeding on Rowan berries and most of these are in trees that must have been planted relatively recently (and perhaps have only matured in the past decade). I'm sure berries must be available in much greater concentrations than in the past when Rowans and other berry-bearing trees would have been at much lower densities.
bombycilla
Well-known member
My instinct, and I could be wrong, is that there possibly are (or were) more Waxwings present in and around Aberdeen (and the UK at large for that matter) this year than in previous years for several reasons:
a) The early arrival of large numbers of birds coincided with a moderate Rowan crop that had not been depleted by Redwings/Fieldfares. Most of these early arrivals were in Orkney and simultaneously south of Aberdeen.
b) There were several large groups reported in Aberdeen in one day two weeks ago including 1000+ birds at Kincorth in the south and several hundred at the north of the city at the same time. There were also decent numbers being reported further south and in to England at the same time. Can't recall but in 2004 the 1800 were the largest flock reported and then filtered south where there hadn't been huge numbers seen ( unlike this year with 1000 at Pitlochry and several hundred near Perth before we had anything like those numbers here in Aberdeen).
c) I live right next to a hot spot and this year we have had several large groups of different birds over the last two weeks we have been trapping and colour-ringing them. Today I had a colour-ringed bird that was ringed at Aboyne two weeks ago so the birds are 'circulating'.
I am quite interested in why flocks disperse from an area when there is still abundant food available. They are certainly fascinating birds !
Unfortunately the Swedish control we caught on the 5th ( and colour-ringed) was killed in a window strike at Cragiebuckler 5 days later. Over 300 have been colour-ringed so please keep a look out for them - some have reached Cumbria.
LC
a) The early arrival of large numbers of birds coincided with a moderate Rowan crop that had not been depleted by Redwings/Fieldfares. Most of these early arrivals were in Orkney and simultaneously south of Aberdeen.
b) There were several large groups reported in Aberdeen in one day two weeks ago including 1000+ birds at Kincorth in the south and several hundred at the north of the city at the same time. There were also decent numbers being reported further south and in to England at the same time. Can't recall but in 2004 the 1800 were the largest flock reported and then filtered south where there hadn't been huge numbers seen ( unlike this year with 1000 at Pitlochry and several hundred near Perth before we had anything like those numbers here in Aberdeen).
c) I live right next to a hot spot and this year we have had several large groups of different birds over the last two weeks we have been trapping and colour-ringing them. Today I had a colour-ringed bird that was ringed at Aboyne two weeks ago so the birds are 'circulating'.
I am quite interested in why flocks disperse from an area when there is still abundant food available. They are certainly fascinating birds !
Unfortunately the Swedish control we caught on the 5th ( and colour-ringed) was killed in a window strike at Cragiebuckler 5 days later. Over 300 have been colour-ringed so please keep a look out for them - some have reached Cumbria.
LC
bombycilla
Well-known member
.....I should have added in relation to Paul and Andrew's question about why these numbers appear to be increasing in recent times. I don't know, but can comment that only around 10-12 % of the birds we have caught so far this year are adults ( though adults are presumably harder to catch !) and scanning the flocks the vast majority of of birds are first winter birds suggesting a bumper breeding season ?
LC
LC
G Anderson
Registered User
Biggest influx ever? Haven't seen too many myself recently (60ish) but nothing on the BIG years yet down (up) here, ( Lothian, afew counts of 200-300 I hear). No 1000's yet reported as far as I know, here.
Can you now get an 'average' Waxwing year? I struggled for 10 years to see my first one (single) in the early eighties, now it's eruption year every 3-4 years it seems !
Gordon
Can you now get an 'average' Waxwing year? I struggled for 10 years to see my first one (single) in the early eighties, now it's eruption year every 3-4 years it seems !
Gordon
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Has this been reflected nationwide though?
Agreed north-east Scotland had an incredible influx, but do the numbers already in allow for mass flocks all over the UK as in recent influxes, I fear not for those waiting. Need reinforcements.
Still not seeing any numbers here - either there are not significant numbers moving or, for some reason, presumably berry-related, they're all pushing west on the way to good ol' Blighty for their hols.
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There have been three-figure counts in much of northern England and in Norfolk over the past few weeks. Lower numbers further south and west but that's to be expected. I think we can safely say that numbers have been amongst the highest ever for most of the northern half of Britain. Those birds will presumably work their way south, so I see I expect much of the rest of Britain to see relatively high numbers as the winter progresses.
I suspect the reason that you're not getting many is that they're not coming from Russia but from northern Scandinavia. A Swedish ringed juvenile was retrapped in Aberdeen (sadly it was later found dead) and I suspect that gives some indication of where many are likely to be coming from. By contrast a bird ringed in Aberdeen in the winter of 04/05 was later found in central Russia. The birds in 04/05 maybe originated much further east than the birds we're seeing this year. The lack of Waxwings in your area adds a bit of weight to this argument.
Plausible
...still early in the season here mind, mid December influxes not rare. So hopefully them Russian birds will get moving too.
...still early in the season here mind, mid December influxes not rare. So hopefully them Russian birds will get moving too.
captaincarot
Well-known member
interesting results from the ringing surveys then.
indicating we have some sort of scandinavian waxwing 18 to 30 holiday (weeks that is) going on.
here's hoping for a second wave when we get some proper winter and a record year.
indicating we have some sort of scandinavian waxwing 18 to 30 holiday (weeks that is) going on.
here's hoping for a second wave when we get some proper winter and a record year.
Paul Higson
Well-known member
A good number of Waxwings have been colour ringed in Orkney recently.
Orkney Waxwings have a unique combination of three colour rings on one leg and a metal ring and a yellow colour ring on the other. Yellow signifies from Orkney - I believe for birds trapped in Aberdeen the colour of choice is white.
One of our birds was seen in Norwich on the 16th.
Orkney Waxwings have a unique combination of three colour rings on one leg and a metal ring and a yellow colour ring on the other. Yellow signifies from Orkney - I believe for birds trapped in Aberdeen the colour of choice is white.
One of our birds was seen in Norwich on the 16th.
