Waxwing Hunting Comes Good - But Still No Waxwings!

Despite the last few days being cooler, and giving me a great opportunity to look over flat seas, it feels pretty stagnate out there at the moment. There just doesn't seem to be any movement going on!

I've checked the sea from Branscombe to Axmouth harbour within the last two days, and have come up with nothing better than two Red-throated Divers and seven Great Crested Grebes.  Yes that really is it.  Could someone tell me where all the sea duck are? They're certainly not here.

Something else I've done as much as I've been able to, is patch Waxwing hunting. Not just within the past few days, but within the past few months.  Waxwing would be a very valuable patch year tick - but it would also be a patch life tick for me, so I'm VERY keen to get one on the list whilst they're still about! Why can't I have the luck of this chap.

Surprisingly I have seen almost nothing of note in the hours I've been walking/driving about local housing estates. But that changed today, when amongst a flock of c30 Chaffinches that flew out of gardens in Colyton, a single Brambling sat on a tree smiling at me...

You took some finding!

 

Since Jan 1st I've looked through several large flocks of Chaffinches on arable land hoping for one of these, without success.  But it's always been in the back of my mind that there could well be some hunkered down somewhere in gardens - I was right! Very pleased to get this one on the year list, my 117 bird of 2013.

Oh yeah - and I hope you like the new look blog.  I thought it needed a face lift.