A Wild Goose (Waxwing) Chase

We have been keeping an eye on Twitter and the Bird Forums to see if any Waxwings turn up close to us and while there have been some nearby sightings we have resisted motoring off to try and find them on the basis that they wouldn't be there when we got there.

However yesterday we succumbed as there had been regular reports of a flock of 100+ in Brownhills and they seemed to be hanging around. So with a two hour old report from Twitter we headed off on the 50 minute drive and despite the precise location being given there was nothing there! Except some Canada Goose and Mallard on the canal, we drove around a for a while scanning the trees in the neighbourhood thinking that a flock that size would be easy to find but nothing!

Then today on Twitter again see a flock in the same place now reported to be 140+. However Tina was out at the shops and I was doing work in the house, so no chance.

Anyway to make up for it we have been seeing a mixed flock of Redwing and Fieldfare at the end of our road. Tina phone me as she was coming home saying the flock was now huge, so I grabbed the camera and walked the 100 yards to the trees. Indeed this was by far the biggest flock we had seen.

Tina was scanning the birds with her bins (always in the car!), while I tried a few photos in the abysmal light, when she said excitedly there's a Waxwing, incredulously there was! A single Waxwing among all the thrushes.

So here are few very poor snaps (bearing in mind the weather and that it was getting dark!),
A Redwing,

 but the star.........