On Monday morning there were a number of juvenile cedar waxwings feeding on berries in the glossy buckthorns. It was amusing to watch them plucking the berries and gulping them down. With luck I was able to catch this one with its berry-stuffed beak.
I've seen and heard a number of Cedar Waxwings around the marsh lately, probably because of the ripening berries. But this one was feeding on a nest of tent caterpillars in a gray birch tree. Apparently cedar waxwings are "efficient predators of foliage-eating caterpillars", according to one of my sources. You can see some of the gauzy web on its beak.
A svelte bird if there ever was one, not a feather out of place. I've been seeing a small flock of cedar waxwings at the marsh the last couple of days, probably drawn by the ripening berries. This one was posing on a snag yesterday.
I happened to spot this lone cedar waxwing this morning in a large hawthorn tree, feeding on the hawthorn blossom petals (apple blossom petals are a favoured delicacy, apparently). Except for the American goldfinch, they are the latest of the perching birds to begin nesting, the waxwings starting in mid-June.
No, I didn't get lost, I was just grounded by five days of rain. I returned to the marsh on the 9th, to very high water, with no dabbling ducks in sight - although still plenty of the diving variety, especially the buffleheads. I did find one lone Cedar Waxwing which was accompanying a small flock of robins, feeding on rose hips and hawthorn berries. In this shot, the waxwing looks as though he didn't appreciate being interrupted.
There were still a goodly number of land birds around this morning. Along with the usual Yellow-rumped Warblers, chickadees, sparrows and at least two Palm Warblers, was a flock of about twenty Cedar Waxwings, particularly in the berry-bearing trees. I caught this one in a glossy buckthorn bush, feeding on the fruit. I was thinking: Oh no, another way those pesky bushes multiply!
I thought perhaps I wouldn't see many birds around today, as it was close to noon when I walked the trail. I needn't have worried; bird calls sounded from many of the trees. There was a small flock of Cedar Waxwings, mostly juveniles, that was moving from tree to tree at one spot, including these two. With the abundance of berries this year, some of the waxwings may remain for the winter.
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This morning at the marsh was another fruitful day for bird sightings. The Yellow-rumped Warblers were especially evident. A small flock of Cedar Waxwings was flitting among the trees near the entrance to the trail, including this young one.
There was a small flock of Cedar Waxwings moving among the Grey Birches at the marsh this morning. As I tried getting closer to this one, it zoomed just above my head to the next tree, and then repeated the process, back to its first perch.
There was a small flock of Cedar Waxwings at the marsh yesterday. They are attracted to the nice assortment of shrubs with ripening berries. This one had paused to do a little preening in a maple tree near the parking area.
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