Digging fruits out of the snow

text & photos © by Abu

On 12 January 2014 I was in the area below Songino Khairkhan Uul , together with 25 members of the Mongolian Birdwatching Club. Only few birds (in total we saw 23 species) were around and photographing was slow as the birds proved not only to be few but were shy as well. Nevertheless I was able to document that Bohemian Waxwings are digging fallen fruits out of the snow. Thanks to the cold weather during the last week with temperatures well below minus 30°C during all nights (we started at a chilly minus 34°C this day), the steam from the sewage stream had covered all the trees in thick frost. Most Bohemian Waxwings—there were only about 30 around—searched for food on the ground. They dropped from the branches, hopped around and dug out fruits as illustrated by the juvenile bird in the pictures below.

Bohemian Waxwing digging in the snow,

below Songino Khairkhan Uul, UB, Jan 2014

Bohemian Waxwing digging in the snow,

below Songino Khairkhan Uul, UB, Jan 2014

Bohemian Waxwing—got one,

below Songino Khairkhan Uul, UB, Jan 2014

Bohemian Waxwing gulping it down,

below Songino Khairkhan Uul, UB, Jan 2014

Bohemian Waxwing

Of the fruit only the stem is visible here (it’s not the tongue!),

below Songino Khairkhan Uul, UB, Jan 2014