Waxwings, Heading Your Way

Waxwings, Heading Your Way

Picture the situation...

You've been stuck inside all day, so decide to walk down to the shops for a Fanta. You get to the shop. You buy a Fanta. Your walking back, and get two roads down from your house, when suddenly you hear lots of trilling sounds coming from above you in a tree. The trees have leaves on them now, and you have a Fanta in your hand, not optical equipment, so you can't clearly see the things thats making the noise, but they are clearly birds, and they aren't Blue tits. Suddenly, the mystery birds decide to fly, and its then that you see that they are about the size of a Starling, but that they are not making the sound that Starlings make.

You think you have temporarily lost them when you turn a corner and find a flock of 14 Waxwings happily trilling away at the top of a tree by a bridge. The birds have strategically placed themselves over a railway line, so that when the train comes, they will fly away and never be seen again. Its ok, you say to yourself, the train shouldn't come for a few minutes, giving you the chance to get closer. But those few minutes are spend looking dazed, and wondering what to do, so the train comes, and the birds fly away.

But thats not the end of the story. The Waxwings fly off, but in the direction of your house, and although you can't see the birds flying over your house, you can guarantee that if you were in your house, looking out at that time, you would be able to see the birds.

You fall to your knees, and wimper. You are overcome with emotion. Half of you is jumping with joy for finding Waxwings a few doors down from your house, and the other half is filled with regret that you didn't take your camera, or rush back home to try and spot them from your house.

So yeah, thats what happened to me (if you haven't already guessed) the day before yesterday. I went home, grabbed the bike and cycled around the area to try and look for them again, but did I see them? Have a guess. I did manage to get some shots of the tree they were in though, 10 minutes after they left. Let your imagination run wild, and you should be able to see Waxwings in this photo...

Changing the subject slightly, a funky Bee Fly that was in the garden recently...

And a Crab Spider, that eats Bee Fly...