The Werrington flock were seen from a garden in which I was working today, the lady whose garden it was told me that that she had seen them from her back garden since before the New Year, with numbers fluctuating, but mostly in the late teens. This flock duly appeared in its' favoured tree, but I counted at least 40, bigger than was first thought. I was able to pop back later in the afternoon when I had finished my jobs for the day and was surprised at how large the flock had grown. The numbers in these flocks are really hard to gauge with the naked eye, despite numerous counts and so I took a ropey photo of the flock and was amazed at the total! The photo is below, have a guess before counting them, I think you will be as surprised as me when you actually count them (or maybe not!).
The birds at Ferry Meadows CP were seen in far better light yesterday, which enabled me to get some fairly good close-ups, although I leave the final judgement to you, dear reader. As always, click on the images for a larger picture.
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| The flock in Werrington. How many can you count? |
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| One of the Werrington flock |
Lovely photos and a very impressive flock! I counted 93... am I close do you think?!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lou and thanks for the 'Follow'. I counted 91, with another 7 on an aerial out of shot, but maybe I am wrong?!
DeleteJ
They are lovely photos John.
ReplyDeleteThanks Roy, too kind.
DeleteJ
John, these are outstanding images of one of my favorite birds. You have the Bohemian and we have the Cedars, but all so lovely. How very blessed you were to get so many close up and sharp images...I am jealous;')~ in a kind way~
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary,
DeleteI have never seen a Cedar Waxwing, only in a photo as they are extremely rare in the U.K. I was lucky in that the bird didn't seem to mind me being so close.
J
Before I forget, I tried three times and got three different results!,,,83, 87 and 89...whatever, a wonderful sight and you took some lovely photos. You seemed to get very close to them John and lots of detail. How far away were you? That's a great camera and I am wondering if that one or something similar might be the answer to my problem with heavy, long lenses.
ReplyDeleteHi Jan,
DeleteI counted 91, with another 7 out of shot, but as I said to Lou above, I may be wrong!
In the top three shots I was about 10 feet away, perhaps a little closer, with the zoom lens at 35x. It is a good little camera, not as good as a DSLR, but it gives fairly pleasing shots. There is a new model out, the Canon Powershot SX50 HS, which has a slightly longer zoom. Well worth a look.
J
Excellent shots John.
ReplyDeleteThey really are fantastic birds, and I never tire of seeing them.
Thank you Keith,
DeleteI feel the same way, wherever they pop up locally I try to see them.
J
Dear John,
ReplyDeletehow come that you have so beautiful colourful birds in England? Here we have the kingfisher (I saw one once in my life), a few bulfinches, some blue-tits, woodpeckers (the wings of the Werrington flock reminds me a bit of them) - but that's it. Though I wouldn't be surprised when you would go on still hunt in the large woods here in around Berlin, you would find more. Your pictures are beautiful as always.
Hi Britta,
DeleteWe have those birds as well, all beautiful in their own way, but you have some stunning birds that we don't have, the Black Woodpecker springs to mind. Some people think British birds are dull and boring, but when you see the Kingfisher they couldn't be more wrong!
Thank you.
J
They pretty much haven't left Werrington since they arrived at the Crab & Winkle in early Dec! You're right about the flocks - there seems to be a core of 20-30 which are often joined by others. I was so amazed when they were here a couple of years ago but this time around has completely surpassed it.
ReplyDeleteHi Dan,
DeleteYes, I was surprised when the lady told me how long she had seen them for. I have obviously missed them on my drive through!
This year they have stayed put for a lot longer than 2010-2011, although the numbers in the whole of the country have been a lot less.
J
Hello John, your photographs are absolutely stunning. Have never seen a Waxwing. With respect to the privacy of house owner, are you able to say which street I could look for them in Werrington please? I used to live in Home Pasture. Thank you too for letting me know that the Starlings have gone from Maxey. I did wonder if I was too late. Thanks, Odette
ReplyDeleteHello....me again....forgot to ask you where I could also find the Waxwings at Ferry Meadows please? Thanks Odette
ReplyDeleteHi Odette,
DeleteMany thanks for your kind words.
The Waxwings were hanging around Carron Drive (near the chip shop) and also opposite the Jet petrol station and the birds in Ferry Meadows are in an area called Coney Meadow. Park in the main car park where the visitor centre is and walk towards Gunwade lake. The big stretch of grass on your left is Coney Meadow, with the birds hanging around in the bushes and scrub at the far end. I have just seen a report that there were 190 Waxwings there this morning, so now is the time to see them!
J
Hello John. I wonder if any Waxwings ever visit Ilford!
ReplyDeleteEnlarging the pictures shows a phenominal amount of detail like HD TV.
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Hi Bazza,
ReplyDeleteI am sure that some birds would visit the area, check out your local industrial estates or shopping centres, anywhere there are trees or bushes with berries. Even better, check out your local birding websites, they might have news of sightings.
Glad you liked the 'clicked' pictures.
J