Waxwing Invasion

[Eskander]

How many members have had a chance to see any of the flocks of waxwings which have invaded the UK this winter. If you are at all interested you should try, there may never be such a large influx again.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/4188583.stm

This shows you some details and a picture.

I saw a flock of about 150 a week ago and another of about 60 on saturday.

[Annabel]

:thumbs: they sound lovely...but will we see any in London? probably not! shame!

[Eskander]

Don't write off the chance of seeing any in London:

http://website.lineone.net/~andrewself/news.htm

they are literally everywhere this winter

[Eeyore]

I've never seen one but I'll be looking out for them :) They look beautiful :D

[Annabel]

:D According to your link (thanks) there are some in my vicinity actually so I will keep 'em peeled!!!! :bigeyes:

[mazza]

here, do you think there are any 'way up north'? :lol:

I might have seen a flock too - I just assumed they were seagulls, but thinking about it they were darker and a bit smaller :) .

Either way, it was a sight - I nearly crashed my car gawping at them! :o :nono:

[Eeyore]

Still haven't seen one way up here in the North East :sad:

[Eskander]

The north east is often where they first appear as they come from northern Europe and Russia. This year the first reports were of large flocks in Scotland and in North and East England about last November - several thousand being reported. They tend to arrive, feast on berries - mainly Rowan, and Hawthorn - strip the trees and then move on South and West so it has only been in the last few weeks that large numbers have reached South wales.

They tend to stay in flocks and are about the size of starlings - which they can be mistaken for at a distance, flying or in ther tops of trees. If you see a large flock of starling sized birds in an area with trees carrying berries, have a closer look, you might be lucky.

[mazza]

Cool! That seems to fit in with what I saw a couple of months ago then! B)