Yes, we have no waxwings. Strange as this may seem, they appear to be avoiding south-east London. They're everywhere else though [...]
Yes, we have no waxwings. Strange as this may seem, they appear to be avoiding south-east London. They're everywhere else though, and I am wondering if I will be the last naturalist in Britain to see one.
The Bohemian waxwing, Bombycilla garrulus, to give it its full name, is a beautiful bird - sleek, handsome, well-groomed, elegant, silky (Bombyx, after which it takes its scientific name, is the silk moth). It is also a rare visitor to Britain.
A native of higher latitudes, it only visits us when its food in Scandinavia runs out and it heads south-west in search of better forage. We have plenty of that round here, for the waxwing is a berry feeder and gardens hereabouts are full of pyracantha, hawthorn, rowan, berberry and rose hips. The place should be bristling with waxwings.
Most years a few turn up along the coasts of eastern Scotland and north-east England, but autumn 2010 saw a huge invasion and they started spreading way inland. Ornithologist websites were abuzz with local sightings of flocks raiding across the north, and by late October they had reached the Liverpool/Hastings line, leaving only Wales, southern England and the West Country waxwing-free.
Daily updates show that the invaders have now passed through Aldershot, Bristol and Bath and reached the South Coast, with sightings in Bournemouth and Portsmouth. There were quite a few records from north and west London, but not East Dulwich.
I've been listening out for its call, a high, whistling, rattle-snake chatter. All I can hear is the distant traffic of the South Circular. Now, if I were a real birder, instead of an entomologist pretending to be one, I'd be very worried. This is the sort of omission that could ruin my credentials. But I'm relaxed, they will either turn up eventually, or I can feign disinterest. I do feel sorry for those poor desperate souls who need to see them.
One such unfortunate friend posted a parting remark on Sunday, on his Facebook page, that he was off to cruise the streets of West London until he found a flock of waxwings, or got arrested for curb crawling. I haven't heard from him since. I'd better just check up on him.
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