Waxwings 2017

Del.Monte

They are back but not in huge numbers. Anybody spot them yet this year?



http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web

gzoladz

Del.Monte wrote: »

They are back but not in huge numbers. Anybody spot them yet this year?



http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web

Yes, check the pictures thread.

OpenYourEyes

A flock of 11 were seen in Sligo town today (via the Nature Learn and Birdwatch Sligo Facebook pages).

Del.Monte

@ gzoladz

Saw those pics - nice but where were they taken?

gzoladz

Blackrock, I should have mentioned the location.

Half-cocked

1 seen in Bray.

OpenYourEyes

Over a hundred seen in west Dublin today, and plenty more around no doubt!

http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/94558/Waxwing.html

Del.Monte

Would you believe it that some were seen here in Enniscorthy on the 7th/8th January - a few thousand yards from where I live but I missed them! I went down to the location today and all that was to be seen was a berry-less tree.

wexandproud

saw a couple of them on top of forth mountain just outside wexford town on sunday.

OpenYourEyes

Still c120 in Lucan today, and reports of flyovers from other parts of Dublin, as well as Monaghan, Donegal, Wicklow in the last couple of days. Likely to still be plenty around elsewhere, well worth keeping your eyes peeled around any trees with berries!

So far four birds colour-ringed in December in Aberdeen have been sighted in Ireland too - one in Sligo, one in Portadown and two in the Lucan flock.

TedR

Anyone know if they are still over Lucan way?
I was going to go for a look today

OpenYourEyes

TedR wrote: »

Anyone know if they are still over Lucan way?
I was going to go for a look today

They were reported there yesterday anyway!

TedR

Thanks
I went out for a look, but think I left it a bit late in the day. No sign. Had a good look around the Rochfort estate and Foxboro areas, I didn't actually see many berry trees that I assume would have brought them in, maybe they are working through the back gardens
Might try again in the week.
If anyone has a reasonably reliable fix on a likely spot, please post, thanks. I appreciate that they can't be location predicted exactly.

Isambard

would that be due to a storm blowing a flock off course? Where would they usually have been living?

Del.Monte

When there are hard winters in Central Europe Waxwings move west which is why we only get occasional explosions of them in Ireland. The last couple of years there were virtually no sightings but back in 2012/13 there were quite a few.

Isambard

thanks. They seem to be mostly east coast, I'll not hold my breath. To me they look similar in some respects to Goldfinch

OpenYourEyes

Isambard wrote: »

thanks. They seem to be mostly east coast, I'll not hold my breath. To me they look similar in some respects to Goldfinch

There have been plenty in Cork over the years. As the winter/spring goes on they'll make their way through many counties all over the country.

whyulittle

For anyone in the midlands, a group of them have been reported on the 20th, 21st and today opposite the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise.

roweeeeena

I saw a slim, grey bird with a slender beak and slender neck with some sort of tuft or plume on its head (don't know what the official name for it is!) in Donnycarney Dublin yesterday morning.

I'm familiar with all of the common Irish birds, in picture even if haven't seen them myself. I've never seen anything like this bird, I'm thinking it was a juvenile waxwing, so mostly grey and lighter below but without the coloured wings, although I don't remember the black eye markings but it didn't hang about long, only saw it for a few seconds, would it still have the juvenile markings at this time?

Any ideas what it could have been if it wasn't a waxwing?

OpenYourEyes

roweeeeena wrote: »

I saw a slim, grey bird with a slender beak and slender neck with some sort of tuft or plume on its head (don't know what the official name for it is!) in Donnycarney Dublin yesterday morning.

I'm familiar with all of the common Irish birds, in picture even if haven't seen them myself. I've never seen anything like this bird, I'm thinking it was a juvenile waxwing, so mostly grey and lighter below but without the coloured wings, although I don't remember the black eye markings but it didn't hang about long, only saw it for a few seconds, would it still have the juvenile markings at this time?

Any ideas what it could have been if it wasn't a waxwing?

Hard to imagine what else it could be tbh, especially if you're confident about the feathering on the head.

Where was it when you saw it - and by that I mean on the ground, in a tree etc? And what size was it? And when it flew off can you remember anything about the way it flew?

OpenYourEyes

Some Waxwings in Wicklow this week.

Waxwing by Brian, on Flickr

Waxwing by Brian, on Flickr

Waxwing by Brian, on Flickr

There have been sightings on Irishbirding of Waxwings in Dublin, Wicklow, Galway, Laois, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, and Mayo since the start of February, and no doubt countless others not being recorded, so it's well worth keeping an eye out for them. The Wicklow birds were hawking for insects as much as they were feeding on berries, so it's worth checking the tops of trees for them - don't restrict your search to trees/bushes with berries!

gzoladz

I can't help it but thinking about Trump when I see a Waxwing, it must be the hairstyle.

roweeeeena

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Hard to imagine what else it could be tbh, especially if you're confident about the feathering on the head.

Where was it when you saw it - and by that I mean on the ground, in a tree etc? And what size was it? And when it flew off can you remember anything about the way it flew?

Yes I've researched a bit myself, doesn't seem like it could be anything else, especially with the head feathering, that was a definite, which is what made me notice it as it caught my eye. It was high up in a tree, didn't see it fly away unfortunately. Wonder where the rest of it's crew were!

OpenYourEyes

Thirty Waxwing in Cork today (per Irishbirding) - the spread continues!