Saturday, March 5, 2011

Backyard Birding: Cedar Waxwings

Each day during the last week, I've been blessed with hundreds of Cedar Waxwings in my big backyard tree.  There is a dense grove of pine trees in the adjoining backyard, with a couple of cedar trees loaded with cedar berries.  A dozen Waxwings at a time will fly down into the cedar tree, eat some berries then zip back up to a perch in my tree, almost like they have meal shifts.

I've been searching through the large flock carefully hoping I might find a Bohemian Waxwing.  So far, no luck, but I am always happy to "settle" for Cedar Waxwings which are among the most sleek and beautiful of all birds.

I am reminded of the time when I took my family to Fort Boise WMA to see the Snow Geese.  There were two large trees overhanging the dirt road ahead of us chock-full of Cedar Waxwings.  I pulled up underneath the tree and opened my sunroof for a better view. Big mistake! Suddenly it started to rain, but it wasn't water. Some of the grossest bird droppings I had ever seen fell into our hair and all over, inside and out, of the family minivan. My wife was not well pleased.

7 comments:

  1. So the droppings aren't as picturesque as the birds themselves?

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  2. ...I'll "settle" for Cedar Waxwings any day too! I'd love to see 100s in my backyard.
    p.s. I had to laugh at your sunroof encounter...I can only imagine what your wife and kids had to say!

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  3. @Mike B. - the droppings were pretty goopey, looking more like worm innards than the remains of seeds. But they did have multiple colors like the fruits they were eating.

    @Kelly - My wife loves her minivan. She was more ticked-off about the pooh on her van than in her hair.

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  4. I have to remember that, next time I drive under some Waxwings! Get the wife some flowers, work every time!

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  5. I love me some waxwings! Happy Birding...

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  6. @Ricky - I had the same huge flock of Cedar Waxwings in the front trees this morning. I watched their pooh rain down again, but was learned enough this time to avoid the shower!

    @dAwN - When you guys bring Homey to Utah, stop on by!

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