Saturday, 21 February 2009

Waxwings, Woodlarks and a Wuff-leg

There are good numbers of Waxwing around this winter. A flock of between 100 and 150 can be seen most days from our flat as they wheel around central Copenhagen. Today I came across a flock of 200+ at Vestamager. They gave a wonderful display for about ten minutes, coming down to bathe and drink at a small ice-free patch on a nearby dyke, before a female Sparrowhawk blitzed through, spooking them all. Unfortunately they never came back - particularly unfortunate as the low sun was just emerging from the cloud that has seemed depressingly omnipresent this winter! Other highlights included 3 Woodlarks feeding on a roadside verge (just about the only place where the grass was not covered with snow, due to the splash over of salt put down by the local authorities), a Woodcock flushed from a forest path, 5 Mealy Redpolls, 6 Hawfinches and a distant Rough-legged Buzzard.

Photos below: Waxwing; Waxwing bath time; a Fieldfare; and a Woodlark (I risked my life on my belly in the middle of the road to get this shot - I hope you appreciate it! ;-)




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