How to photograph……….Waxwings

If I were designing a bird as a subject for photography then it would probably end up looking like a Waxwing.  It really is a bird that seems like it has put on its Sunday best, brushed its hair and added a little dab of makeup before it left the house.

First the bit about the creature: 

Unless you live in the Arctic Circle, Waxwings really are a bird that you are likely to have to chase after!  Their “home” territory are the Northern Forests where they spend their breeding season feeding on insects in coniferous and birch woodland, so if you want to see them at “home” then you will probably have to journey to Scandinavia or Russia.

However, come winter and come the snow Waxwings, rather sensibly I think, decide to head south in search of warmer weather and food.  Their diet switches from insects, obviously there are less about in winter, to fruits and plant buds.

This winter movement is what is likely to bring Waxwings closer to your door.  Depending on the weather and the availability of food, Waxwings can spread right down into Western Europe and across the UK, giving us what is known as a “Waxwing year”.  Some years only a few arrive on UK shores, other years it is tens of thousands that are here.  I had been waiting for a couple of years to photograph Waxwings – without travelling to Aberdeen to do so – when in 2008 we had a bonanza, Waxwings turned up right across the UK in big numbers.

Don’t imagine that these birds of the northern forests stick to that sort of habitat when they arrive in the winter.  They are attracted to berry bearing trees and bushes and will go where the feeding opportunities are high, I’ve seen them in supermarket car parks, cemeteries, industrial estates and even at a lorry park.

What you need to get the image you want:

The first thing you need to do is locate the birds!  There are plenty of websites, text message services and message boards that log daily sightings of all sorts of birds.  It is worth keeping a daily eye on those from about the end of October; you can usually track the Waxwing journey south across the UK by following these sightings.

Then you will need to decide when to go and try to photograph a flock.  In 2008 I drove 100 miles to photograph a large flock of Waxwing only to discover that a flock had been seen within about 4 miles of my house!  That is the gamble you take and you can’t always be sure that you will see them; in 2007 I spent two weeks zooming from site to site and only saw the tail end of one bird as it disappeared over a hill.
Waxwings are a little smaller than a Starling, but stockier, and look quite similar in flight, in fact most people dismiss them as a flock of Starlings as they fly over the local Tesco store.  From October I start “seeing” Waxwings everywhere, every flock of Starlings momentarily convinces me that they have arrived.

When the birds find a good supply of berries, Rowan is a favourite, they will go on a feeding frenzy, and the branches of trees will bend under the weight of dozens of birds grabbing as many fruits as possible.  As soon as all the berries are gone the birds will fly off in search of another crop, so don’t think that because Waxwings were seen close to home on Thursday that they will still be there on Saturday; if they berries are gone so are the birds.

Once you have located your flock you will need to find a good comfortable location to photograph then from, this can often be your car.  Waxwings will typically perch up high on a roof or large tree overlooking a food supply and fly down en-masse to feed and then retreat quickly to the perch.  They are easily disturbed birds, so if you are in a public place you will have to put up with the birds flying down for a few seconds and then back off to the perch.  It can be frustrating, but actually can also work in your favour as it means there will be constant movement; there is no waiting about for a bird to appear from behind a tree trunk or deep cover.

Waxwings also do us photographers a tremendous favour by spending so much of their time in trees that bear brightly coloured fruits; it makes for great imagery and has supplied me with four magazine front covers. Thank you Waxwings.

The technical bit:

Once you have found them Waxwings present a few more difficulties photographing than you would think.  They’re not tiny birds so you don’t have to get ultra close and almost more than any other bird I can think of they will return to the same spot again and again, until the food runs out that is.

However, the colouring that makes them so attractive to photograph also makes them a hard subject to deal with.  The black band across the eyes and under the bill can lead to exposure problems and the resulting appearance of a bird with no eyes or beak!  The varying colours across the body and wings can also make it difficult to get a good tone for the whole bird. Throw in some bright, ripe berries and your histogram can end up looking like a heart monitor.

You simply have to have good light when photographing Waxwings.  You need it to be able to get their eyes to show against the black mask, a “catchlight” is essential, and also to show off their wonderful colours.  On a drab day with subdued light Waxwings can end up looking a little drab themselves.

When you have good light try and position yourself so that it is striking the bird at a 90 degree angle; this helps with the eyes but also provides the best possible conditions for showing off their colouring.  If the light is hitting the bird full on there is a chance that the colours will appear more washed out than you would want.

Depending on the brightness of the light you might need to drop your exposure a little to cope with the danger of blown highlights, particularly the yellow areas on the wings.  You will also have to be careful to avoid making it look as though the bird is eating neon berries – in very bright light the berries can shine like beacons and be a real challenge.  I photographed Waxwing eating yellow berries and all the images had to be disgarded because it looked like they were gorging on plastic beads; I’d not taken the brightness of the berries into consideration and learnt the lesson the hard way. 

When a Waxwing lands in a tree they tend to grab all the berries within easy reach and then move on.  To capture the berry eating action you’ll need a fast shutter speed and to avoid lots of distracting background branches I would recommend an aperture of f/5.6 for the shallow depth of field.

Conclusion

Waxwings cause a ripple of excitement across the country when they arrive, they are exotic looking birds and are great subjects for photographers.  Their arrival cannot be guaranteed and some years their number make it nigh on impossible to get the chance to photograph them.

Keep an eye out for reports and know where your local Rowan trees are! 

Waxwings present more of a scarcity challenge than a technical challenge when photographing, but they still can be a bit tricky.  Know your exposure controls well and use them well.