Return Of The Waxwings

The weather today here in Reading was beautiful once again and I decided to head out at about 2:00 to go and see if the Waxwings were back around the area I had seen them before. I had originally thought they must have moved on, as I hadn't seen them for a few days. But someone reported seeing them yesterday afternoon. I headed out yesterday about half an hour after the person had said they had seen them but they were not to be seen. 

So when I went out today I wasn't sure if I would see them or not. But I was in luck. The first thing I noticed was their characteristic trilling sound as they appeared to chat to one another. As I got closer, I saw them in the little berry bearing tree that I had seen them in before. There were about 15-20 birds there this time, whereas there were only about 10 the last time I saw them, so it seems as though they've been recruiting other Waxwings from the local area. They were all very busy picking berries off the tree and actually for some of the time they were quite content with just perching in the sun for a while too, which made for some nice photos.

When I got there, 3 other people in a group were already photographing the birds. They weren't students and had obviously been told by someone that the Waxwings were there. I'm amazed at how many people now know about the presence of these birds on campus, and it's quite exciting to see how much interest these birds are attracting.

The light this afternoon was perfect and much better than what was available last time I tried photographing these birds. Not only this, but I was able to get even closer to the birds this time too, so I was able to get some more close-up shots. Last time I saw them I didn't want to get too close in case they flew off, but the other photographers there today were able to get really, really close to these birds without them being bothered, so I decided to get closer myself. It's not often that my 300mm lens is long enough for bird photography, but today it was fine.

There aren't too many berries left on this tree now as the Waxwings have eaten the vast majority of them. But there were still a lot of berries on the ground, which the birds were happy to fly down and eat.

I was amazed at just how efficient these birds were at picking the berries off the floor but it was quite a sight.

After a while taking photos of the birds feeding on the floor, my attention was drawn to some of the birds sitting in the afternoon sunshine in the tree above:

The photo below is probably the best of the ones I took, and I really liked the way the light lit the bird up so nicely.

The photo below is one of the last ones I took before the flock flew off into a much larger tree nearby. I could have watched these birds for hours, and their busy and frantic nature was fascinating to watch.

Overall I'm really pleased with how these pictures turned out, and they are definitely better than the ones I managed before. I feel rather lucky to have been given the opportunity to get so close to these unique birds, given they are only likely to be around for a little while. 

The tree they have been feeding on is really very small, and no other trees around it have any berries, so I'm really quite surprised that these Waxwings discovered this food source at all. The tree is right beside the Chemistry building, quite close to the centre of campus, and you really wouldn't have thought it would have been spotted by the birds. It just goes to show how opportunistic these birds actually are. They remind me a lot of Starlings for some reason (apart from the appearance), simply because of the way they behave. 

After a while the birds flew off altogether (maybe to another part of campus), and I decided to head back. Its been great following these birds over the last week or so and I'll really miss them when they're gone. Would it be too much to ask to see them one more time I wonder? :D  

Waxwing Wednesday

This morning I decided to head out for a wander around the campus this morning to see what I could see. The weather is slightly better today (it's not raining), so I thought it would be a good opportunity to go out and take a few pictures. It was about 9:30 when I went out, and I stayed out for over two hours looking around. The campus is quite a large area, so it takes a little while to look around all of it. 

I started around the lake area, which I've not really checked out for a couple of weeks. The first sight that greeted me was this Mute Swan: 

I was then pleasantly surprised to come across this Egyptian goose family with goslings. Spring really must be on the way! 

Along with the Swans and Egyptian Geese were Mallards and Canada Geese. The photo below shows a few of those birds together...

Lots more water birds could be seen along the edges of the lake, including Coots and Moorhens. 

Robins, a few Wrens, Blue, Great and Long-Tailed Tits, Blackbirds and a Song Thrush were all seen as I wandered on the path around the lake. As I got nearer to the end of the lake path, I spotted a group of Chaffinches and Goldfinches flitting around in the trees. I watched them for a couple of minutes, and then watched as a group of Siskins joined them at the top of an Alder tree. I had been told that Siskins could be seen around the campus at the moment, so it was good to spot them. We don't usually get too many of them where I live so it was a bonus to see them here. A bad record shot of a Siskin that refused to face the camera is below: 

I saw a couple more Wrens around the last part of the lake path, and a cormorant flying overhead, and then I decided to head to the woodland area of the campus to see what I could see. Blue and Great Tits were the first birds I saw as I started my walk, but I was unable to get any decent photos. It wasn't long before I came across a group of about 5-6 birdwatchers looking at the Firecrest in a tree surrounded by ivy. It seemed as though the bird had already been there for a little while before I got there, and the only view I got of it was a very brief glimpse of the bird as it flew off. It was good to see that the bird is still around though. It was also very pleasing to see that so many people had an interest in this tiny bird. 

After a few minutes of trying and failing to see the Firecrest again in the area, I decided to head off further into the woodland to see what else was around. There was lots more activity to be seen, and I was thrilled to see a Treecreeper again which I've now seen on my last two visits to the woodland. I managed an average photo of the bird as it climbed a tree in its unique fashion. 

I decided to stick around the area which I saw the Treecreeper for a while, as there was lots of activity in this area. I saw another Wren, and lots of other common birds too. I was  very surprised to then see a Pheasant in the distance, a bird I've never seen on campus and didn't really expect to see on campus. I managed a record shot below: 

I came across two or three more people wandering round the woodland with binoculars around this area, including a woman who was watching a Goldcrest flitting through the brambles low to the ground. I was able to get really close to the bird but it just kept moving every time I had it in frame. In the end I only managed this record shot as it hung upside down off a little branch. 

A couple of minutes later, this Song Thrush was seen foraging around on the woodland floor looking for grubs: 

And this Blackbird a bit further on. Near to where I saw this Blackbird, I also saw a Nuthatch on the trunk of a tree in its characteristic pose, which was another good bird to see, and one which I've seen on nearly every outing on the campus.

After some time looking through the woods, I decided to make my way back to my halls. But I had one more bird to look for. Over the last week or so, Waxwings have been seen on campus, and there had been sightings both yesterday, and this morning. They had apparently been seen just outside the Chemistry building on campus, in a tree containing lots of berries. I headed over that way, although to be honest, I went there only on the off chance that I might see them. The fact that they had been seen earlier in the morning while I was looking around the rest of campus made me think that they might have disappeared by the time I got to the area they had been sighted. 

But I was in luck. I walked on the path alongside the Chemistry building and saw a small group of around 10 birds flying from the top of one tree to another. They were very vocal and almost immediately I could see that they were Waxwings, with their distinctive behaviour and appearance. It was fascinating to listen to them as they appeared to be chatting to one another. They are really such striking birds. I had never seen them before, so it was such a nice surprise to see them on the university campus. Whilst they were at the tops of the trees I got a few record shots: 

Even just seeing these birds was enough for me, but I had even more luck, as one or two of the birds flew down to a much smaller tree bearing lots of berries, and allowed me to get a few better photos. These birds seemed remarkably tame and allowed me to get pretty close to them. Only a few of these photos are any good, but I was so glad to get any kind of photo to be honest. The low light meant that I bumped the ISO up to 800 for some shots, and 1600 for others. So the images are a bit grainy but I'm still pleased with them.

The photo below was probably the best of the bunch and shows the bird most clearly:

The tuft on the top of the Waxwing's head is so exxagerated in the photo below, making an otherwise terrible photo of the bird facing away from the camera quite interesting.

The thing that amazed me most about these birds is how opportunistic these birds are. The Chemistry building is relatively close to the centre of campus, and lots of people wander along the paths beside that building, so seeing them there really was a surprise. From what I've been hearing, the Waxwings that have migrated here from Scandinavia have split up into smaller groups than usual, explaining why there were only 10 or so birds here on campus. It's great to think that some of the trees here on campus are supporting such a range of species.  

Overall today I saw a total of 31 species, which is really quite impressive for a couple of hours walking around. The Waxwings truly made my day, and fingers crossed they'll stay around for a little while get so I can get a couple more sightings of these gorgeous birds. 

I'll leave today's post at that I think. I need to make a quick trip into town and get some work done, so lots more stuff to be done today. Thanks for reading and have a great week :D