Waxwing gift passing display

 After a long hiatus, I came across some Waxwings today. Six individuals were perched high up on a Lime tree, taking the sun in. They were quite active, changing branches, pecking the shiny, red tree buds. Two in particular called my attention, as they approached each other touching bills, then coming apart. I took plenty of photos, some unfocused by branches getting in the way, but, looking at them in more detail back at home, I noticed that the two individuals 'billing' were doing more than that, they were exchanging an object, probably one of the tree buds, in a ritual display called 'gift passing' (top shot). The behaviour is seen both in the Bohemian Waxwing, which we get in irruption years in the UK, and in the American Cedar Waxwing. 

The behaviour consist on passing an object, then the individual with the object jumps away, then joins its mate, which 'receives' the object, then the behaviour is repeated and the object passed backwards and forwards repeatedly.

The individual on the left has the gift now.

The individual on the right has it now. Note the raised crests.

Here a Waxwing shows interest in the bright red, shiny buds of the lime tree.

And here, another individual holds some buds in its bill.

I found a description of the behaviour, based on captive individuals and illustrated with photos, which shows that the display is also accompanied from fluffed rump and belly feathers, raised crest and lowered tail, the latest something not very obvious in my photos. The male appears to initiate the behaviour, obtaining the object, and sidling to the female, presenting it. If successful she will accept the object and reciprocate, after jumping away, then close. It is difficult to sex Waxwings, males apparently have longer crests and a more clearly delimited black chin patch.

This is a clip of the behaviour in the Cedar Waxwing, there seems to be a lack of recordings for the Bohemian Waxwing, although the description and my observations fits both species sharing this wonderful display.

More Information

Meaden, F. M. & Harrison, C. J. O. Courtship display in the Waxwing. British Birds 58, 206–208 (1965)

A story of ringed Mute Swans

Last Wednesday 1st of November I went to Pickering Park. There were six Mute Swans. The resident cob (841 yellow ring), followed by the resident pen (ringed 842, top shot) was busy busking towards a white swan in the lake, who tried to avoid him and ended up preening on the bank at one end. It was a polish variant one, possibly a young of last spring, and when it came out to the shore I could see it was also ringed (red 182Y).
There were also three brown-feathered young swans, starting to moult into adult plumage. Just one of them was ringed (red 537). I assumed they were offspring of the resident pair. One of the brown young kept near the polish one being chased, joining it on the shore.

182Y at Pickering on the 1st of November.

The brown swan accompanying 182Y at Pickering.

The resident pen at Pickering.

***

On Sunday 5th I went to Pearson Park. I was pleasantly surprised to find a mute swan, brown, not ringed. After a while I realised that there was another mute swan, white, on the other side of the pond. The small lake at Pearson Park has very rarely held swans, and not for too long. The last one I saw there was a juvenile from November 2005 to March 2006, when another two appeared in the park before all departed. I casually checked for rings, as I often do, and after some trying I managed to read it. I was surprised to find that the white one was the same that was being chased at Pickering Park, 182Y! The brown young wasn't ringed, but its plumage development is consistent with the one keeping near 182Y at Pickering, so both birds must have left the lake together, possibly an incipient young couple? 

182Y now at Pearson Park. I was able to read the ring as the swan swam.

The brown unringed young at Pearson park.

Both swans at Pearson Park. The white swan showed some aggressiveness towards the brown one, pecking it when it got close.

The swans are getting a lot of attention at Pearson Park. I think the brown one is a male, as it occasionally fluffs up its neck which looks thick in comparison to the other. Still there today, being fed by locals. There is currently a good empty breeding territory at Oak Road lake, it would be good if these two moved there!

Pair of Moorhens

There are now two Moorhen pairs in the park. They own each one end of the pond, a pair owns the island and the other the 'rock' with a couple of clumps of marginal plants. Today the island pair was very cosy, both individuals together, the one on the left preening around the neck of its partner. Moorhen males are slightly larger and heavier than females, so the larger individual on the left is likely to be the male. The Coot pair abandoned the park after their two failed breeding attempts on the stolen Moorhen nest.

A coot pair settles

Two of the coots have stayed in the park and today my suspicions that they were a pair were confirmed. They have shown a lot of interest on the nest that the moorhen who nested in the tree has built at the base of the tree on the water, on the free time allowed by the care of its now two chicks. But that will be something for a different post. On the top shot, one of the coots examines the moorhen nest closely.

Shortly after, the Coot was chased away by the Moorhen, the nest owner.

One of the coots calls the other with a trumpet-like call.

This morning, both coots were near each other. One of them picked a piece of stem and carried it to a clump of vehetation on the shore and rearranged it using her feet and bill. Then, the other coot approached and gave it chase closely, with the first coot swimming to the shore, standing and adopting the curious position of a receptive female, head curled down under her chest. The male then clumsily climbed on top, although he fell down before completing the copulation. I get the impression these are first time breeders, and the breeding instinct is just kicking in. The following are a couple of shots of coot mating pairs taken in another local park where coots are plentiful, illustrating the female position. They often mate on or near the nest. When they are on the water, the female actually submerges her head.