Waxwing lyrical 

The other morning, I was putting the rubbish out when I heard a Russian calling excitedly in a neighbouring garden. It’s a distinctive trill. And a moment later, the Northerly visitor was flying through my own garden - my first Waxwing of the winter.

Even people who would rather admit to tax evasion than go birdwatching appreciate the charms of a Waxwing. For a start, they’re no Little Brown Job - of esoteric interest to those who enjoy the subtle variation of plumage in the tertials, or whatever. Waxwings look like nothing else. They appear magnificently styled - with a kind of emo hair, and mascara. If you get close enough, you can see the bright red waxy tips to the wings.

But as much as their appearance, it’s their unpredictability in Britain that makes them such wonderful creatures. In most winters only a handful arrive from their breeding grounds in Scandinavia and Russia, and these few travellers generally stick to favoured spots in Scotland and Eastern England.

But occasionally, when the berry crops on the continent fail, they ‘irrupt’ in much larger numbers, with thousands arriving and filtering down across the whole of the UK as the winter progresses.

The last big invasion was in 2004, but the last few weeks have seen a small influx, and there are now small groups of birds in many places across the country. A good time to find your own.

Three steps to Waxwing

1. Waxwings spend most of their time in remote woodland, and aren’t bothered by humans. It means that they’re quite happy chomping on berries in a supermarket car park, while trolleys rattle past them. Indeed, the first one I ever saw was in close proximity to Tesco.

They love pyracanthus and cotoneaster - staple shrubs of the modern industrial estate and car park, as well as many gardens. Find yourself one of these with a good crop of berries, and it’s worth keeping an eye on it through the winter.

2. Familiarise yourself with the loud trilling noise that they make - often the first clue that they’re around. It sounds like an electrified greenfinch. There’s a recording on the RSPB website. 

3. And if you have no luck finding your own, why not twitch someone else’s? You can track the latest movement via the Birdguides website, and increasingly easily on local county ornithological sites.

It may not even have to be a devoted trip. Given their preferred locations, you can usually combine it with some food shopping.

HEADER IMAGE by Flickr user wjklo

IMAGE by Flickr user hegtor