Waxwings at last!!!

posted in: Mary's Blog | 0

We have been hoping to see Waxwings all winter and have been checking local bird sightings websites regularly. Before Christmas the birds were all over Staffordshire but we were still in Spain. By the time we came back for Xmas they had either dispersed or else we, and perhaps everyone else who might report sightings, were too busy with Xmas festivities to go birding. We have come back to the UK for two weeks and have been checking websites but not really expecting to see these birds. Then, last night on a Staffordshire bird sightings website, someone had reported them in Essington, opposite the Working Mens Club ( WMC). Essington is not far from where we are staying so I hatched a plan to get up this morning and go for a look around. This was our last chance to see Waxwings before we go back to Spain on Monday as these birds will surely have gone by the next time we are here. So, off we went, me filled with hope and John not expecting much. We drove along the road looking for the WMC and I spotted it coming up on the left, a quick look to the right and I was jumping up and down shouting ‘Waxwings, Waxwings!!’. We stopped by the WMC and I was out of the car like a shot. Brilliant!! There were 50+ Waxwings sitting in a tree looking fantastic. After a while they flew off but I saw where they went so we followed them and at one point they came down to a nearby berry bush and we got really great views. Another birder turned up while we were there, spotted us, and stopped to look and take photos of the birds. I can’t believe I have addedBrambling and Waxwing to my life list in just one week. Result!