After a patient wait Waxwings have finally arrived in Weymouth with 9 birds seen flying from the hospital in Monmouth Avenue towards Lodmoor just moments ago. They are one of the most colourful, characterful avian visitors to these Isles and it is relatively unusual for them to move this far south. Although possessing the colours and plumage one would associate with the tropics, waxwings actually resident to the coniferous forests of Scandinavia and Siberia. The southerly movement of waxwings is food related; if the berry crops are exhausted in their native lands they go in search of new reserves which is why finding a berry bush is often the best means of finding the bird. There have been 70 or so birds eating their way through Poole's berries and up to 20 in Dorchester in recent days so it was only a matter of time. Don't miss them - they are fantastic as Luke's pictures illustrate.
Click the below link to see some truly extraordinary images of waxwing earlier in the winter in Fair Isle - will warm your heart on a cold, grey day!
http://fair-isle.blogspot.com/2010/11/waxwings-oct-25th-2010-day-well-always.html
We tried for the waxwings for a cold, slippery half-hour around Lodmoor Country Park no avail. Really impressed by the outdoor gymnasium though!