Birstall Beauties

Couldn't resist going to look at the 60 Waxwings invading the industrial estate at Birstall in Bradford. I just love looking at these graceful birds. They were feeding on a variety of Mountain Ash called 'Pink Pagoda'. Some landscaper had luckily decided to plant them when building offices.

The birds were quite wary and didn't seem to like white vans for some reason (who does)! Fancy coming all the way from Scandinavia for the second year to eat berries at the Mars Petfood factory near Ikea!!!

Waxwing Wunderland

These Scandinavian beauties descended on apple trees and had a whale of a time just south of Wakefield.

They would eat 5 or 6 berries and then retire to the top of a tree to digest them. Hard work getting good pics of them with all the twigs about but we got there in the end.

Driven to Art

Found myself driven to do a watercolour sketch of Waxwings that were being unco-operative for the camera. At least the telescope allows a much closer view. These were in a tree today at Cold Hiendley near Wakefield. They then dropped into a garden to feed on apples.