Bird Watching: Waxwings returning for the harvest., 1 by Grasmussen

Grasmussen wrote:

Quoting:Pieces of berry after waxwing digestive processing, of course . . . ;-)

When I first felt things hitting me from above, I expected that to be true. When I looked at my coat, I was surprised to see splats of fresh red berries. Apparently when they bit down on the berries, a portion of the berry spurts out.

Quoting:But if you want to grow some new rowan trees, the waxwing-"processing" assists germination of the seeds.

Unfortunately, that is becoming a problem. The European species is used for landscaping. It is faster growing and more of a tree. The native species is slower growing and more of a scrubby bush, seldom used for landscaping. The Waxwings are spreading seeds widely. As a result there is a proliferation of this non-native species. I have to pull seedling as weeds, from my garden. On this side of the pond, almost no one would know what a "Rowan tree" is. The common name is Mt. Ash for all of the Sorbus on our side of the pond.

Carol, I have been waiting for a sunny day, hopefully tomorrow, to go down to Seward. Seward has a number of birds not found in Anchorage. My only photos of Harlequins were taken at Fourth of July Creek. I was hoping to catch some closer to shore this time. Also, want shots of Chestnut-backed Chickadees.