For the last few days my yard has been invaded by hordes of Cedar Waxwings, often said to be the MOST handsome bird in North America, and I believe that to be true. These birds will NOT come to your feeders so you must look, and ESPECIALLY listen for them. They are berry eaters and I have personally witnessed them eating Holly Berries in early Spring and Mulberries (before I can eat any ) in mid-late Spring. They are ALWAYS found in flocks that behave like schools of minnows in the ocean, the flock moving as a single entity rather than individual birds. Their call is ALMOST above the range of human hearing and sounds to humans like, "Ssssssss, Ssssssss" a high-pitched shrill hissing often heard coming from the tree tops. They are call, "Waxwings" because their wings really DO contain wax which appears as a bright red tip on the longest feather of each wing. They are a burnished bronze color with a black mask and a bright yellow band on the tip of the tail. Their heads have a swept-back crest much like a Wood Duck that makes a spike in the back. This spike, coupled with their sharply pointed bill and very flat head give what I think is a pick-axe appearance around the head. Here is a pretty poor but recognizable picture I took this afternoon in my Bradford Pear tree of one of a flock of 5 birds. Note the black mask, Yellow band on the tip of the tail, and Barely visible the pinkish-red spot on the wing which is the accumulation of red wax that is excreted through the wings from the berries that they eat. Go to Google Image Search under Cedar Waxwing for better pictures and to eNature.com to listen to the sound they make.

CEDAR WAXWING


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A bird in the hand......can sometimes be a mess.

Cedar Waxwings are one of my favorite visitors. Pretty birds!
Hundreds of them arrive in July when the wild cherries are ripe... but then, in a month, they leave as quickly as they arrived.
sigh....

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Quick, Plants 'n pots! Plant some mulberry and holly trees for when they come through your neighborhood this month!



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A bird in the hand......can sometimes be a mess.

Those sure are Cedar Waxwings! They have a distinctive silhouette. 90 % of the pictures I took of my Cedar Waxwings were worse than yours. At times they can be tricky to photograph and I think my camera is dying, too.

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A bird in the hand......can sometimes be a mess.

Waxwings are ALWAYS in flocks! The flocks move like a single organism much like schools of sardines in the ocean. If one bird moves in flight they ALL move in the same direction, at the same time. It is fascinating to watch.

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A bird in the hand......can sometimes be a mess.

Here is the latest shot of a Waxwing, You can see the swept-back crest, The yellow band on the tip of the tail, and a bit of the black mask. What is not visible is the red tip on the longest feather of the wing. This is due to the angle of the photograph AND to the fact that None of this flock of Waxwings had the red meaning that the red wax that accumulates on the tips of the wings has worn off and has not been replenished yet. I think the red comes from the Holly berries they eat in late-Winter early-Spring. The berries are off the holly now and new flowers on the Holly herald they birth of nest year's crop of berries.

CEDAR WAXWING


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A bird in the hand......can sometimes be a mess.