Blogs

So another year ends. It's been an exciting one. Here's just a few of the highlights (I'm bound to have missed a few): funding received from Heritage Lottery Fund to allow us to start work on the Minsmere Discover Nature Project. For details of the other funders for this excting project...

As another year slowly draws to a close, it's time for my final sightings update of the year. The main news is not much change over the last few weeks. That;s not to say that it's quiet. Far from it. Just that as is usual in mid winter, most of the birds are staying put. An exception was...

It was a very different weekend for us, we all donned our Father Christmas hats and reindeer horns and headed up to Marks and Sparks in St Neots, where we packed bags for the busy shoppers and collected funds for The L odge. It was a great team effort with lots of support from both volunteers and staff...

There's a trill in the air...the first waxwings this side of the winter have been seen today. They were found by our warden Andy, amongst a large flock of over 400 fieldfares, many redwings and a couple of mistle thrushes.They were attracted to the rowan trees bursting with berries in the glade along...

Blogger - Communications Manager, Erica Howe I had to scrape ice off my car windscreen the other morning! Ok, so that’s hardly news I know, but I can’t believe we nearly made it to the end of November without having so much as a light frost. I live in the city so perhaps this isn’t...

I had another stroll down to the new Island Mere Hide this afternoon to look at the newly installed interpretation, and in the hope of seeing a few good birds. I wasn’t disappointed. As I’ve said previously, I loved the old hide, despite it’s shortcomings, and while I knew its replacement...

It's been a long ten weeks since I last visited the old Island Mere Hide, so it was with much anticipation that I headed down to the new hide for a quick look yesterday. And I was not disappointed. The hide looks absolutely superb as you approach up the ramp. This will be a great place to watch...

I was walking through the office this morning when something bright caught my eye. A moth, on the carpet, near the door. I just managed to stop a colleague standing on it before it flew to the window and allowed me to take this photo . Now, I'm no moth expert, and our number one moth man is on annual...

What a great way to end a busy day in the visitor centre. At 3.45 pm I headed down to North Hide to check out the growing starling roost. After a gorgeous sunny late autumn day, it was becoming a bit overcast and misty, but the sunset was still impressive, if short-lived. Small flocks of starlings...

I saw and heard a flock of 30 - 40 Waxwing from my garden in central Watford today : in a neighbours oak tree and then in my cotoneaster tree (they were enjoying the berries). This was at around 6:30pm in beautiful sunshine and around 18 degrees centigrade.

JudiM Waxwings have been everywhere this year - except in my garden They haven't been to my garden either. Obviously Dottymama lives in a more desirable bit of Hampshire than I do!!!

Bramble... this is brilliant and about time too .. I've been banging on about the increased likelihood of waxwings flooding London, so it's about time someone proved me right! Thank you for restoring my reputation. Now, to make my life complete, can someone this summer capture images of a...

I saw my first ever waxwings 2 days ago on the edge of Bramley near Tadley. A small flock of at least 8 birds feeding excitedly on the numerous red berried bushes and trees on a housing estate. I was fairly excited myself and the only person taking any notice! Perhaps everyone else was working. The...

Voting is now over for this poll, thank you for all of your votes and comments! The waxwing came out as a conclusive winner, lets hope that all of your wishes come true and they turn up in gardens. Try to maximise your chances by providing sliced apples and pears on tree branches in your garden. ...

I was beginning to think I was the only person in the country who hadn't seen one! Driving to the shops today, noticed a large group of birds clustered in a tree at the road side. As I went past I was convinced they were waxwings. Doubled back at the next roundabout and pulled into the lay-by...

Thanks Kathy and Dave, beautiful picture Shane. I was beginning to despair of Northampton - since I moved here I haven't had many little visitors in my garden despite (or because of) living opposite a huge ancient park. Dee

Waxwings arrived in Cardiff between Christmas and New Year. One fell down our chimney. We found out that they were waxwings from a photographer taking pics of them in the 10 inches of snow while they were feeding off the berries in the trees. These pics will be going into next year's Christmas Cards...

For the first time, we saw two waxwings in our garden here in St Arvans (near Chepstow) yesterday. There was still a lot of lying snow on the ground and they were here all day eating a apple that I had put out for the blackbirds.

Taken on 11th December 2010 when a flock of some thirty waxwings descended on the trees in my neighbours' gardens here on the outskirts of Dover. It was truly awesome. ;o)

There was a real sense of awe in the cul-de-sac here on our new build estate on the outskirts of Dover when a flock of waxwings arrived on Saturday 11th December 2010. The flock numbered what I estimate to be approximately 30 individuals and they flew between the trees in our cul-de-sac and those in...

In Elgin in North East Scotland, on 15th Feb, a flock of Waxwings landed in a tree in my garden (I counted 50). There was no cotoneaster etc, so I guess they were just passing, They were spotted again this week near the Town Hall.

We counted more than 80 waxwings roosting in a leafless oak tree, silhouetted against the dull winter sky. Whilst we watched, they all took off together, circling round and round over our heads and dropping lower and lower, towards a rowan tree still laden with sickly-peach coloured berries. We watched...

Wow, I can't beleive he stayed for so long, showing us is eye make up, than his wing and tail colours, spectacular.

Wow, I can't beleive he stayed for so long, showing us is eye make up, than his wing and tail colours, spectacular.

Wow, I can't beleive he stayed for so long, showing us is eye make up, than his wing and tail colours, spectacular.

Sunday 8th feb we spotted 4 birds which we have never seen before sitting on next doors arial in a row, they looked quite comical with a quiff on the back of their heads, but we couldn't make out what they were. They were Bohemian waxwing!

I have just seen 5 waxwings - I am so excited! There are only 100 of these visitors every year = and there are 5 of them in Edinburgh! I feel so lucky to have seen them - they were just beautiful.