Thanks very much to the growing list of contributors for all your help with
the colour-ringed waxwing project. Tremendous response and feedback from
everyone.
The 2 page map shows all movements to date + Feb 1990 v Feb 2005.
Spreadsheet shows all histories. One of our local ringers Harry Scott now
has a flock coming to fruit in his garden, hence a big increase in daily
sightings at 51 Charlton Crescent, Aboyne!
The more recent sightings away from Aberdeen are listed below:

BOL in Weston-super-Mare, N.Somerset 26/1/5 Paul Bowyer (photo)

RGL in Liverpool 23/1/5 Chris Galvin (photo appeared in previous update)
then in Alphington, Exeter 3 days later (c380km SSW) 26/1/5 David Land
(photo). Then 15km SW in Newton Abbot 15/2/5 by Brian Heasman and several
folk on 19/2/5, including 2 more photos, from David Land and Jim Law!. This
is the bird with the trendy yellow under tail covert streaks!

LBO in Alvaston, Derby 10/2/5 Robert E Webb, 12/2/5 Rodney Key, 13/2/5 David
A King (photograph). Check the position of the left hand bird in the
picture!

Sighted GOR, OWG, (YW) + a metal Brit + foreign ringed bird in Bristol
8/2/5. Dave Nevitt. Caught and ringed 22 waxwings.

BOG in Llanfairfechan, N.Wales 8/2 (Brian + Nick Hilton) + 10/2/5 John
Barnes.

Orkney October bird recaught by ringers in central Sweden, 5/2/5....mad!

4 combs W of Dundee by Alan Leitch on 8/2/5. 2 back in Aberdeen within a
week or two (c80km).

Stuart Sharp + co. STAVANGER ringed bird, Warrington control, Aboyne rtpd +
2 of his own rtps on 12/2/5! Quite a morning!
Sighted GB/ONO/GOL 15/2/5. All new birds in Sheffield!

BO in Glasnevin, N.Dublin County 12/2/5 Victor Caschera (photograph recently
sent out) + Aidan G. Kelly. FIRST IRELAND SIGHTING.

GNY High Wycombe, Berks 13 + 16/2/5 Dave Parmenter and Frederic Desmette
(see photo)

YRW (NW14593) dead in Wokingham, Berkshire 13/2/5. Hit perspex bus shelter.
Previously in NE Wales then Bracknell.

LO + OYL in Evesham, Worcestershire 24/2/5 Francis Peplow

Stuart's first cringed bird away from Sheffield, to Tunbridge Wells, Kent
24/2/5 Marcus Lawson (photo)

YGY Renfrew 24/2/5 Peter Roderickson (via Jim + Val Love)

GGY, WGR, WNR, YNR all videod together in Perth, c120km from Aberdeen 25/2/5
by Paul Collin. WGR had been seen twice in Edinburgh during December.

Please feel free to forward the maps or any of the other relevant info onto
your local Yahoo groups and anywhere else you can think of to keep people
interested. We still have 2 months of waxwings around so it will be very
interesting to see what the birds do during this period around the country.
Northward passage? Eastward shift? Local wanderings? France?!

March is already off to a flier with a sighting in Rochdale, Grtr Manchester
and nearer home, 3 in Carnoustie + 1 in Kirriemuir.
Some birds, including a cringed one from Aberdeen, were caught in London and
Neil Hagley ringed 9 in Leicester on 2/3/5 and caught another 7 two days
later, including a bird from the 2/3 catch, a movement of 26km.

Keep up the good work (just for two more months) please.

Best wishes,
Raymond Duncan
(Grampian Ringing Group)