Guest blog by Jamie Wyver.
Waxwings are my absolute favourite birds. They’re little bundles of festive joy. They have a call that sounds like sleigh bells, a tendency for seasonal over-indulgence and a striking, exotic appearance.
These hungry visitors fly here from the forests of north east Europe in winter. In some years large numbers arrive on the east coast in search of their favourite food, red berries. These events are known as “irruptions” and occur in years when there are too many waxwings and not enough berries.
This video was filmed by RSPB Baron’s Haugh warden Mark Mitchell at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens
This winter, hundreds of the birds have been seen across the country. So, how can you identify them? They’re reddish-brown birds the size of starlings, easily identified by their impressive crests and black bandit masks. Look closely and you’ll see the sealing-wax red wingtips from which they get their name. They typically descend on rowan trees or hawthorn bushes in supermarket car parks, trilling to one another with their sleigh bell like calls. Waxwings aren’t shy and are generally comfortable around people, so you can usually get amazing views of them as they feed.
When waxwings find a suitable tree or bush they gorge themselves on the fruit. If the berries have become fermented this can cause them to become “drunk”. Luckily waxwings have evolved to be able to cope with this and can recover quickly, apparently without a hangover.
If you’re lucky enough to see their courtship behaviour (usually once they’re back on their northern breeding grounds) you’ll be even more entranced by these stunning birds. The male passes a tasty berry to the female, which she then passes back, and he returns. This may happen several times and is thought to strengthen the bond between the pair.
Growing berry bushes and fruit trees in your garden may one day attract waxwings, if you’re very lucky, but they’ll be great for many other birds and animals too. Find out more about giving nature a home in your garden: rspb.org.uk/homes
The photo above was taken by Mike Lane and comes from our own photo library, RSPB Images. Browse to find more breathtaking photos like this (you can order a print or canvas if any takes your fancy).