FLOCKS of stunning birds are poised to appear in
north Essex this winter.
Waxwings occasionally migrate from Scandinavia
when a successful breeding season means their local berry supply is exhausted
and do not winter every year.
But experts at the Essex Wildlife Trust are
hopeful for an irruption this year, where the birds arrive in large numbers,
and there has already been some sightings at Abbotts Hall Farm, Great
Wigborough, and Fingringhoe Wick nature reserves, and also further south in
Maldon and South Woodham Ferrers.
Slightly smaller than a starling Waxwings have a
mix of colours with a prominent pinky crest from which it gets its nickname
pink punk. It is reddish-brown with a black throat, a small black mask round
its eye, yellow and white in the wings and a yellow-tipped tail. The wax refers
to the red endings on the feather tips which help identify the age and sex of
the bird.
Regular updates of Waxwing sightings will be
given by Essex Wildlife Trust on their
website.
The trust wants to collate records about Waxwing
sightings in Essex this winter and people are asked to email details of their
sightings and any photographs to records@essexwt.org.uk.
The email subject should be Waxwing and include
your name, an accurate location including a postcode and if possible six-figure
grid reference, who saw them, when, and how many birds were recorded.
No comments:
Post a Comment