Waxwings in the Banchory area

Some observations for 1985-2005

Waxwings in NE Banchory, Kincardineshire, Scotland

I recently made an analysis of our Waxwing records in NE Banchory between 1985 and 2005 (birds also occured in earlier years but I made no systematic records). A total of about 550 birds-days were recorded distributed over 14 out of the 21 years.

Strong regional correlation is shown with over 10 birds logged in Banchory in every year when peak flock size exceeded 100 in the North-East Scotland Bird Report (NESBR) region whilst in every year with regional peak flock size size below 10 no birds were seen. In the other years (10-100 peak flock size regionally) normally 1-10 birds were seen in Banchory. The ratio of local to regional peak flock size is fairly consistent at around 15%.

Most birds have occurred in Banchory in December with a linear decrease through to April (latest date being 23 April 1985). No birds have been seen in October whilst birds arrived in November for the first time in 2004.

Birds have most often been found feeding on cotoneaster berries (frequency 65%), with gean, rowan, apples, hawthorn and rosehip visited in decreasing frequency. Rowan may actually be preferred but berries tend to be exhausted by the time the birds arrive, as are geans (cherries). Amongst the cotoneaster varieties, Cot. bullatus seems to be most favoured, followed by the taller Cot. simondsii and the hedge-forming Cot. horizontalis. The latter is the most common in the area, mainly on Raemoir Road, and has normally been the major food source exploited.

Colour-ringed birds were seen in 1987 and total of 8 amongst a flock of 36 birds in late January 2005 as shown here.

All were ringed locally by the Grampian Ringing Group, in Aberdeen (4), Aboyne (3) and Inverurie (1). All of the Aberdeen-ringed birds had also been seen subsequently in other places on Deeside, i.e. Aboyne (3) and Westhill (1). All but the Inverurie bird had been rung on or after 24 December 2004.

Study data is summarised in this linked spreadsheet.