waxwings - which variety of rowan/sorbus do they most like? (1 Viewer)

[Tony Knight]

Moving house soon to a house with a garden which needs a few trees added to make it more bird friendly. A long shot I know, but I'd like to add a couple of berry trees on the off-chance of getting waxwing during one of the winter mass invasions (and hopefully redwing/fieldfare every year).

I know waxwings love rowans/sorbus from photographing them on many occasions. However there seem to be many varieties available for sale and, if I'm going to spend c£500 on a couple of semi-mature trees, I'd like to make sure I get the best variety !

Any suggestions ?

Tony

 

[Jon Turner]

I put in Sorbus Commixta about 15 years ago, still waiting!!!! Judging by the current blossom it should be quite a berry crop this year. Blackbirds usually take advantage long before anything more exciting turns up!

 

[nick scarle]

I'm not sure what variety they are but I have two Rowans in the garden.
The blackbirds and thrushes have always scoffed the berrries long before any Waxwings have shown up!
The berries on two Cotoneasters seem to last longer and the waxwings certainly enjoyed tucking in to those. http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/sh...6/ppuser/13688/sortby/d/sorttime/9999/way/asc

Nick

 

[lewis20126]

In my experience Sorbus intermedia (planted) is very popular; The larger Cotoneaster speceis, eg salcifolia also seem popular though the smaller ones eg C horizontalis, much less so - although that perhaps as they tend to be closer to the ground.

Haws and rose hips tend to be a last resort in March / April

cheers, alan

 

[Tony Knight]

Thanks everyone. Will try to find sorbus intermedia trees.

 

[Tony Knight]

The bushes at Woburn, Beds last winter all had white berries and hosted waxwings for months. Perhaps these (sorbus vilmorinii) are best ?

 

[chris butterworth]

If you've got room for a couple of Rowans I'd try to get a Japanese Rowan S. commixta ( often labeled as S. matsumarana / discolor / serotina ) which has huge bunches of red fruit, and the added benefit of good autumn colour, and something like vilmorinii or glabrescens ( which is generally labeled hupehensis )with white / pale pink berries as birds tend to leave them until later in the winter.

Chris

 

[Tony Knight]

Thanks everyone. Will try to find sorbus intermedia trees.

If you've got room for a couple of Rowans I'd try to get a Japanese Rowan S. commixta ( often labeled as S. matsumarana / discolor / serotina ) which has huge bunches of red fruit, and the added benefit of good autumn colour, and something like vilmorinii or glabrescens ( which is generally labeled hupehensis )with white / pale pink berries as birds tend to leave them until later in the winter.

Chris

Thanks Chris. I'm adding 4 trees to the top half of a large garden that has various fruit trees further down but nothing near the house. I've picked those which others have suggested to be the best for a variety of birds - silver birch, alder, scotts pine and sorbus (mainly on the off chance of attracting waxwings on the next invasion plus presume great for the winter thrushes ?). Might be able to squeeze in another sorbus !

 

[Mike in Cumbria]

I used to have a Sorbus vilmorinii (Vilmorin Rowan) outside my office and when the waxwings arrived they would live in that tree until the very last berry was gone, despite other berry-bearing trees being plentiful in the area.

Mike

 

[joannec]

Crab Apple is another good tree, popular with thrushes and Waxwings. The variety called 'Red Sentinel' is good because it keeps it's fruit into the new year. Most drop the fruit earlier.