A SCANDINAVIAN invasion is taking place – but it’s not the Vikings this time.
Birdwatchers have been urged to prime their binoculars following the arrival of flocks of striking waxwings from the frozen north, which are travelling to Scotland in search of food.
The birds are irregular visitors to these shores, where they come to feast on berries. They do not arrive in great numbers every year, but every seven or eight years an “irruption” takes place and they migrate en masse.
This year is predicted to see an especially large number of waxwings on the move due to a lack of sustenance in their native land, and the birds have already been spotted taking wing across Scottish skies.
The birds, which do not breed in the UK, are easily spotted thanks to their distinctive appearance – with a black “robber’s” eye mask, crest and red and yellow tail.
Keith Morton, species policy officer at RSPB Scotland, said the long-travelled bird is likely to be joined by fellow Scandinavian redwings and fieldfares.
Mr Morton said: “Waxwings are very striking, exotic-looking birds, with prominent crests, bandit masks around their eyes and brightly-coloured waxy quills on their wings, which is the reason for their name.
“They get to Scotland every year but numbers fluctuate enormously year to year, probably depending on food availability in Scandinavia, where they live and breed for the rest of the year. There seem to be loads around this winter.
“The first sightings are usually on the east coast as they arrive in the autumn and then further inland as they spread out in search of berry bushes.”
The waxwings are arriving just in time for the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch. Thousands of people are being encouraged to take part in the survey, now in its 38th year, and they are asked to spend an hour recording the wildlife in their gardens this weekend.
More than 36,000 people across Scotland took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch last year, counting 626,335 birds. House sparrows were the most frequently spotted bird, with chaffinches and starlings rounding off the top three.
The charity is especially keen to hear about more exotic visitors such as the waxwings this year.
Mr Morton said: “Keep an eye out for them in your counting hour – they are slightly smaller than starlings and will be feeding in flocks on berries at the moment, although they switch to insects as early spring arrives, ready for the flight back to their northern breeding grounds.”
As well as counting winged garden visitors, RSPB Scotland is also asking people to log some of the other wildlife they have seen throughout the year, such as foxes, hedgehogs and even reptiles such as grass snakes and slow-worms.
Mr Morton added: “Wildlife across Scotland is having a really tough time. Last year’s survey showed only 19 per cent of people see hedgehogs in their gardens at least once a month in Scotland, 14 per cent fewer than in 2015.
“We’re including this part of the survey every year now as it helps us monitor how our other wildlife is doing.”
David Wembridge, mammal surveys co-ordinator at the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, said: “Mammals are a less showy lot than birds, but their presence in gardens is as important a measure of the natural value of these green spaces.
“Recording wildlife in surveys gives us a connection to our wild neighbours, particularly those we might overlook.”
Dr John Wilkinson, of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, added: “It’s great to see the Big Garden Birdwatch is again recording species such as grass snakes and slow-worms, whose habitats are declining in the wider countryside.
“Slow-worms are a gardener’s friend: you can encourage them into your garden by having a compost heap that is left undisturbed over the summer so they can give birth there -–they will repay you by demolishing your slugs.”
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