Anyone reading this, please carefully check any Waxwings for colour rings - Mark has led the way with the Barrow (Clitheroe) bird & note that Raymond suggests movement in the next few days, possibly/probably including some more in this area. Some nice public relations etc. on the Cumbrian (Dalston) link in Raymond's letter. All schools should plant ornamental rowans - some great lesson plans every few years!
Birds appear to be moving through quite rapidly with few left around Aberdeen now. There are a lot already in Ireland (per pager etc.) as there appears to be quite a bit of 'west' in the SW movement, with relatively few birds at traditional eastern England locations. That may be good news for this area, as suggested so far.........or the rest of the birds to the north of us may end up in Ireland. In this respect, Edinburgh & the "Central Belt" (where there are quite a few at present) is west of Carlisle!
Here are the longer distance recoveries on Raymond Duncan's PDF - I wasnt quite sure of the resighting history around Aberdeen and therefore the number of days involved in the actual movement for some of them.
09/11/08 Scotstown Rd, B of Don, Aberdeen
17/11/08 Peebles, Scottish Borders Hit window 8 days
09/11/08 Scotstown Rd, B of Don, Aberdeen
21/11/08 Resighting Barrow, Lancashire 12 days
09/11/08 Scotstown Rd, B of Don, Aberdeen
26/11/08 Resighting 17 days Alnwick, Northumberland
09/11-08 Scotstown Rd, B of Don, Aberdeen (& resightings in area?)08/12/08 Resighting Ramsey, Isle of Man (after being seen at Crieff? - not sure about this bird exact details)
13/11/08 Marriot Hotel, Dyce, Aberdeen (& resightings in area?)08/12/08 Resighting Longtown, Cumbria
22/11/08 Bedford Rd, Aberdeen University
09/12/08 Resighting 17 days Dalston, Cumbria 21/11/08
One solitary bird was ringed at Gibraltar Point and then subsequently seen at Lincoln
Raymond's letter:
"Hard to believe it's only just over a month since we had our first waxwing catches in Orkney and Aberdeen. All have gone from Orkney and we appear to have only scattered groups left in Aberdeen. It has all happened so quickly this winter. We are missing them already (but the mistle thrushes aren't)!
Many thanks to all observers for their sightings and photographs. It's been very exciting receiving your records. Update number 2 is attached. 5 sightings by RSPB Edinburgh in a lunchtime was great but these large flocks in the Central Belt appear to be breaking up and continuing on south. Big influx into Cumbria at the weekend (2 sightings) and note ORO's cross country movement to Isle of Man...next stop Ireland?
Link below to a wee story by David Hickson on the waxwings in Dalston, Cumbria....Ian Armstrong now has some colour-rings to hopefully ring some more before they move on again.
http://www.dalston.org.uk/Photography/Waxwings/index.cfm
Please forward on to anybody you think might be interested and alert them to look out for colour-rings.
Many thanks again.
Best wishes,
Raymond Duncan
(Grampian Ringing Group secretary)"
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