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www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk
March 2017
t: 01454 300 400
Credit: Mark Jones @markjonesbrack on Flickr
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nyone driving past the car wash in the car park of Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook shopping centre in recent weeks and seeing tens of photographers lined up on the edge of the road might be forgiven for thinking a film star had popped in to have their Rolls-Royce valeted. The reality, however, is that the guys (and gals) with the long lenses had them trained on a number of small berry-laden trees that have been attracting a rare visitor (of the feathered variety) to the area. The birdwatching world in the south-west had been awash with reports of sighting of waxwings, starling-sized birds having a prominent punk-like crest and brightly coloured wings, with waxy-looking red tips on the flight feathers. Waxwings are native to Scandinavia and Russia but, in winters when local supplies run low, they migrate to milder climates in search of food. Their favourite winter food is fruit, in particular the berries of rowan and hawthorn trees, which
explains their presence in the Willow Brook Centre car park, where there are many rowan trees planted between the rows of parking spaces. Waxwings are most often seen in the north of the UK and on the east coast, but in years when berries are particularly scarce, they move further inland in search of sustenance. The last major ‘irruption’ (influx) of waxwings was in the winter of 2012/13, when several sightings were recorded in Bradley Stoke. One of the photographers we spoke to at Willow Brook, Mark Jones, told us he had travelled from Berkshire in search of the elusive birds, of which there are thought to be just a few thousand scattered across the country. He said: “The flock that has been seen in Bradley Stoke is made up of around 15 birds – not a big number at all, and because they only come over once every four or five years, it’s really great to have the opportunity to see them.” They’re so striking – they’re one of those birds where you think:
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