Waxwing ringing project gets underway in York

Waxwing year gets underway with large flocks on Skye and in Yorkshire and Humberside

November 2012. 

Britain has seen a large influx of several thousand waxwings this autumn. With distinctive bright red tips at the end of their dusky pink plumage, square-ended yellow tail feathers and a black ‘highwayman' band running across their eyes, these colourful little birds have big characters. A flock of 1,000 was seen round the Isle of Skye, and several flocks of up to 300 birds have been present in Yorkshire and the Humber region as the birds move south after having depleted berry crops further north. 

Rowan tree
Natural England staff and volunteers from the Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve (NNR) came to nearby York to ring waxwings around the York Walls. With permission from the City of York Council, nets were set round a rowan tree beneath the city walls and 12 waxwings were soon caught. This was a great result in terms of successfully ringing birds to gather scientific evidence; and a fantastic opportunity to tell the watching public more about waxwings and how bird ringing projects work.

Craig Ralston, Natural England's Senior Reserve Manager from the Lower Derwent Valley NNR, waxed lyrical about the ringing project. He said: "This ringing project - which forms part of a wider scientific data collection programme - brings fascinating conservation work more often found on our nature reserves, right into the heart of the city. It's a great way of engaging with people about the surprising natural wonders that can be found on our doorsteps."

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/york-waxwings.html