I dont think this is the one - these were spotted in flocks over
Macclesfield, England! The ref from the RSPB doesnt give the latin name.....
but this is a year of 'eruption' in the winter population here and the
twitchers are very excited! So 'a waxwing year' is simply one when there are
huge flocks gracing our berry bearing trees and bushes (it is simply the
phrase one of the twitchers I came across used in his excitement)
http://www.rspb.org.uk/england/eastanglia/watching/waxwing.asp
You are welcome to steal what you like Joanna!
Liz
> I looked it up - as follows:
>
> Bohemian Waxwing
> Bombycilla garrulus
>
> This species forms large winter flocks in the northern United
> States only
> about once a decade. Its occasional erratic movements southward in winter
> are thought to be caused by food shortages in the North. When it appears,
> it feeds on berries. One hundred or more of these birds perched in the top
> of a leafless tree in midwinter, calling shrilly, is an unforgettable
> event. Highly social, Bohemian Waxwings usually move about in tight
> formations, descending en masse on a clump of bushes and quickly stripping
> them of fruit.
>
> At 01:05 02/01/05, you wrote:
> > > flocks of five hundred
> > > this year is a waxwing year
> > > stare into the sky
> >
> >I should probably use Google to research, but Liz, what is the difference
> >between a 'waxwing' year and a non-waxwing year?
> >
> >Stephen V
> >Blog: http://stephenvincent.durationpress.com
>
> Ian Saville
>
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