Waxwings!

Down the hatch!

;-)

This one looks tasty, too!

Didn't manage to get a pic of it, but saw two of them courtship feeding today - one picked a berry and fed it to another. Bit early for them to be thinking about breeding though, they're a thousand miles away from where they breed up in the subarctic yet.

Hmmm . . . which shall I go for out of this bunch??

Resin

It's great there is so much food around. I notice a lot of the business parks here are putting in nectar and berry plants. That was the first spot I saw an Oriole.

Very nice Resin!

The Cedars are year around here but once the the berries that are readily available are gone I don't see them much during the winter. Peak time here seems to be late summer and fall. The they are everywhere! I was able to get with in feet and have them flying right over or infront of me...which was VERY COOL!!!!! I would just stand very still...LOL

Ours are just here for as long as the berries are on the Toyon Trees and then they're gone too Nanny. Resin, what kind of berries are yours eating?

And another from November showing just how many berries it produces . . .

Here's one of my Cedar Waxwings eating the Toyon Tree berries. These Toyon are native to our area so the Waxwings, Robins, Jays, Mockingbirds and House Finches have plenty to eat for at least a month or more.

I love this one of the Waxwings going crazy over the berries.

I love all your photos Resin.

This message was edited Apr 12, 2009 10:04 AM

Nice, thanks!

The Toyon berries look fairly similar (not surprising, as it is related!), perhaps a little larger. How juicy are they?

My camera isn't good enough to get that sort of 'feeding frenzy' shot, tho' I did get a shot with the video setting that shows something of it.

Resin

The Toyon berries are kinda hard when I try to break one open, but judging from the red do-do messes that are dropped on the deck from all the birds, they must have lots of juice.

I saw someone locally remarked that Mohonias's fruits are Cedar Waxwings' fav. fruits, so I went out to the nursery and purchased more of them. Seems like the regular residents favor them too. Most of the fruits on the small tree I purchased couple of days ago went bye bye. How I love those waxwings!

Happy Easter everyone...In the late fall and winter the waxwings love to feed on my highbush cranberries. They often come in as one big flock to feed and I enjoy watching them. Red cedar trees fruit are food they enjoy also.
Cuckoo

Over here their favourite is rowan berries, they're very juicy, and are usually all gone by October. Next hawthorn, then whitebeam, and finally firethorn and cotoneaster.

Resin

The pictures I'm sharing,of the Bohemians are from January.

On the ground.

Very nice burn!

Wow, they're such 'snowbirds'!!!

Very nice!

Keep 'em coming!

Resin

Some beautiful shots on this thread..I just love the Waxwings! I know they are still in the area but it has been months since I have seen or heard one.

Thanks, it was fun having them here.
Eating grapes.

He was very close, to my bathroom window.

Nice back .

Wonderful photos burn!!

Good ones!

Thanks Duc. Resin I still can't seem to get, what you mean by the " ticks" on the wings. And can't make out the difference with the defuse edge to the chin. Sorry I'm a slow learner.:)
I've been looking at the first 2 you posted, to study them, I can only see the difference with wing " red wax" and the yellow band at the bottom of the tail.

Some Cedar Waxwings are still here.

Hi Burn,

I'll try to make a composite pic later today to show the differences!

My waxwings are still here today, but the berries are starting to run low now, so not for much longer I guess.

Resin

Hope this shows the 'ticks' more clearly . . .

Resin

Great job Resin!

Resin thanks , that's a really good description, now I see what you mean.

Does the Cedar Waxwing name come from any particular attachment to the cedar tree?

Lovely photos, Resin! This is the first year that I actually noticed Cedar Waxwings here - they descended into the maple trees a little over a month ago, and we observed them eating the BUDS of the maple trees! There are holly trees around, but they seemed to be enjoying the red buds just as much! The maples have greened out now, but I do still see them (and hear their faint whistling), though I know they'll be going north very soon. My mother calls them her "little yellow bandits" ( due to their black masks over the eyes)!
Waxwings are truly beautiful birds.

Well, I really learned something about them this year - I'll be looking for them in those budding maples every year from now on!

I'm still seeing flocks of Waxwings here. Is it possible they stay in areas until their food supply gets scarce? I don't remember them being here at this time last year.

They're still here too, I just hope the fruits and berries (left over from winter) isn't running scarce anytime soon. I just discovered them this year, and I'm delighted!

Although I have not seen any in a last couple of days they were here longer than I ever remember.

Lily, try to offer them grapes, That's how I lured them in close, to get pictures of them.