Cedar Waxwings Came to Visit!!

They were only here for less than 5 minutes but what a thrill. I was inside the house so I couldn't get a great pic but here's a few. There were probably 9-12 of them. Great ending to the day!

Another

Last one. :-))

Congratulations! They have gotten to be one of my favorite birds.

Thanks GP. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw them.

That's great news pelletory! I remember this thread from a while back:

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/682649/

They are hard to photograph, to me anyway. Did you get to hear them? They have an unmistakable wheeezy buzzing kind of whistle like they're answering each other constantly. I ususally hear them before I can see them.
That looks like a Sycamore, I wonder if there's any food for them there or just perching / passing through?

Hi claypa. Unfortunately I could not hear them and I was afraid it would scare them off if I opened the window or stepped outside. I had just turned off the camera a minute before they arrived but couldn't believe it when I recognized them through the binoculars.

I can't remember what type of tree it is but I did see a few of them poking at those spiny ball shaped things. Are they seed pods? They mainly seemed to be taking a break.

Yes, here's a plantfiles picture, I think that's what they are:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/34833/

When they're new the fruits(?) are green and firm but when they dry the seeds can come loose and there's a lot of fluff inside that hummingbirds use for nest material. Finches, juncos and chickadees eat the seeds.
Okay, the Sibley book says Waxwings will eat tree buds and flowers...maybe they had a little salad on their stop. The Sibley book also says they're named for the Eastern Redcedar (Juniperis virginiana) which is absolutely everywhere around here nowadays, they even come up in my lawn... I don't remember seeing so many years ago. I guess it's helping the Waxwing's population to increase.

Pelle - great photos!!! I haven't seen any in years - and the last time I did it was a complete surprise and I didn't even own a camera at the time. Hope I get lucky again sometime and get the opportunity to photograph them!

Finally, 'ey!?!
.. Hip-hip-harah!!

Am truly tickled for ya, pelle !!

Won't stake my reputation on it, of course - but do b'leeve that the Sycamores (and the Birches) usually offer quite a large variety of bugs for the waxwings!

- Magpye

Magpye, I'll bet you're right! when I last saw the waxwings in Seattle where we lived, we had three birch trees.

This is kind of funny because I remember when we bought that tree they told us it was some type of Oak tree (maybe a Pin Oak). It had a lot of problems, it split at the base and has 2 trunks coming up instead of one. When I first saw those spiny ball shaped things I remembered my parents had a tree like that and it wasn't an Oak.
Glad to know its real name now.

Can't wait to see those Cedar Waxwings again. Your right claypa they are hard to photograph, their so different looking. Love em!

I just saw them AGAIN!!! One was sitting on my Trumpetvine just 40 feet away but my darn card was not in the camera and when I got back with it he had gone in the Sycamore tree where another CW was perching. The skies are very overcast or I would have gotten a pic but that tree is at the very back. This is about the same exact time I saw them before. Wish they would come earlier in the day.
I'm still happy.