Waxwings in Christchurch Park

Until the winter of 2004 I had seen waxwings only twice in Christchurch Park, Ipswich. In each case just small numbers. That changed on December 3 rd 2004. I had been alerted to waxwings at Martlesham, but it was still a surprise to see 21 feeding on rowan berries, close to the amenity building. They were flying down to feed on the berries, somewhat flighty if you got too close. They gulped the fruits down with an energy that suggested they were still hungry after the long journey from north Russia or Scandinavia. The trees were next to a path, so we were able to alert passers by to the spectacle, though one woman was unresponsive, deep in conversation on her mobile.

Returning in the afternoon we spent longer watching them in the same place. The light was now behind them so we could fully appreciate their body profile. This was rather similar to a starling both in flight and when perched, but very different when their plump shapes became streamlined as they stretched to take less accessible berries, sometimes hanging upside down with their long crest feathers very evident. By then they were more settled and at close range we observed subtle shades of pink, brown, grey, chestnut, and the cinnamon that gives them their local name ‘cinnamon dumplings’ which Anne Beaufoy reminded me about when I told her of their presence. The red tips of the secondary feathers were also visible, resembling red sealing wax. What made this afternoon sighting so special was that the numbers had grown to 96, the largest concentration I had ever seen. They were clustered like ripe fruits on the top of a tall chestnut tree, gliding down from the topmost branches to feed on the rowan berries. I counted a maximum of 25 birds on just one relatively small rowan. Also for the first time, I was aware of their high-pitched trilling calls; in fact their Russian name is ‘sviristel’, which means ‘reed pipe bird’.

By the next morning there were several other observers, with binoculars and cameras. Again we were able to point them out to passers-by. By now I was able to get close enough to see sunlight reflected in their eyes. I saw one fly out of the rowan in flycatcher style, possibly to take a late-flying insect – a reminder that waxwings in spring and summer are largely insectivorous. Anne Beaufoy saw one flying similarly and also passing, mid-air, a berry to another – early courtship behaviour? Waxwings don’t nest in our country but they may in future, like redwings further north, if mild winters continue.

My final sighting was on the 12 th December at the park entrance halfway up Fonnereau Road. I did not have binoculars and initially thought the fifty or so birds at the top of a large plane tree were starlings, but then watching them glide down to a nearby garden I realised they were waxwings. Several of us were surprised that the rowans near the Martyrs Memorial had not been visited but Anne Beaufoy saw about 35 there two days before Christmas. They flew off when a sparrow hawk arrived.

These winter visitors are occurring more frequently but their arrival is still unpredictable and they are still rare birds and exciting to watch. That they usually allow people to get very close is a definite advantage, as is the fact that they are drawn to trees and shrubs such as rowan and cotoneaster used in mass planting to hide ugly urban areas like car parks. As a final example, they were also seen feeding on berries in the middle of the large and busy car park at Heath Road hospital.

Richard Stewart

 

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