Waxwing at Orrell

Having not seen a Waxing for several years, my last being back in 2011, me and Alex decided to make the quick journey up to Orrell Water Park in Manchester to catch up with an individual that had been hanging around for a couple of days in one of the gardens adjoining the lake off Moss Road.

Driving towards the house, we immediately locked on to the bird before we had even parked the car, and we quickly hopped out to obtain better views, the bird being perched high up in the trees lining the road. The light wasn’t particularly great, with the bird often appearing in silhouette, but it was still great to see this uncommon winter visitor at a relatively close range.

Sadly, the bird didn’t take to the apples set out for it in the garden as it had been doing on previous occasions, but we were more than happy to watch this gorgeous visitor flycatching and hovering in the trees above. 

One of the Waxwings in Northwich a few years ago that showed exceptionally well!

Remarkably, this very same bird was rung in the exact same garden 2 years ago, when a flock of around 200 frequented it throughout the winter. It is truly amazing how now, as an adult female, the bird has made its way back – albeit this year on its own, which could demonstrate some memory recognition when dispersing from Russia and Scandinavia. It would be interesting to learn if any other wintering waxwing flocks return to the same sites in the UK - fascinating stuff.