Juv Bohemian Waxwing in Truro

Dan Cole found a juvenile Waxwing in Truro late on Saturday 5th January.  Luckily it was present the following day.  Being the first for the year and generally very scarce in the west country this winter, it was duly ticked by a steady stream of locals. 

Its main source of food were the berries on the small pink sorbus tree next to Malpas House.  It flew across the river occasionally towards Tesco's car park but always found its way back to the pink sorbus.  How Waxwings sniff out such a small haven in a large city defies logic, but they somehow do it.  This bird is a juvenile and shows just one small red spot of "wax" on its secondaries and of course no yellow in the primaries.  That aside, this is still a stunning bird and always attracts attention.

Waxwing, Truro City Centre, January 2019.

Waxwing, Truro City Centre, January 2019. Nikon D850,

Adult Waxwings in gift-passing ceremony

Intriguing gift-passing behaviour was noted today as two adult Waxwings passed food to each other.  In BWP v.5, page 498, there are some exact illustrations showing what has been photographed below.  The female is the lower bird accepting the berry.  It is fairly obvious that there is some serious pair bonding happening.  After reading the text and then re checking the photo's, it seems that many of the images are actually showing other forms of ritual bonding, eg, the erect crest of the male, fluffing of the breast feathers, fluffing and ruffling the rump feathers, extended neck, the female quivering her wings and the pair sidling along the branch towards each other.   The lower photo shows the male ruffling his rump as she preens. 

(The berry passing images were taken by Brian Mellow through my camera and 300mm lens).

A pair of Waxwings at Treneer, Penzance

These two Waxwings were content to feed on berries beside the busy A30 at Treneer, Penzance.  Brian Mellow and me were trying to find the site for a single Waxwing found on Friday when we stumbled upon this pair.   These two are the first records in Cornwall for 2011.  Despite large numbers in flocks in other parts of the UK, they are still quite tricky to find in Cornwall and they don't stay long either. 

Waxwings finally arrive in Cornwall

Half a dozen Waxwings have finally arrived in Cornwall this week.  The first was found in Saltash, followed by two pairs in Truro and Copperhouse on Thursday.  This stunning female below was found yesterday in the car park beside the Cornwall Farmers building at Wadebridge.  Hopefully more will arrive as they are stunning and so photogenic.