I love Cedar Waxwings. They are graceful and only voice faint high pitched calls to communicate. I never go out expecting Cedar Waxwings. It's unpredictable. In November of 2011, I started a neighborhood walk, but only got two houses down the street when I saw them stripping berries from a tree. Hurriedly I backtracked home for a camera with a long lens. This is my favorite result.
I like to think I can do better now, but as I look at this I still love the scene and the behavior it shows.
Today, the target was warblers or maybe Baltimore Orioles. A few Yellow Warblers were high in the apple trees and never very visible. I closed up shop and hoisted the tripod on my shoulder for the walk back to the car. But halfway there, there was motion in a small crab apple. Binoculars revealed Cedar Waxwings, maybe a dozen. There was good light and they seemed to not notice me.
They dropped onto upper branches that were heavy with blossoms.
Last year at the same trees, I saw Baltimore Orioles in the same trees picking small yellow caterpillars from inside the flower. I expected the same.
It is unwise to assume the different birds have the same habits.
Looking at the bird's beak closely reveals the entire blossom was being eaten. Above, the waxwing is swallowing the final petal of the flower. I saw and photographed this repeatedly.
The waxwings did not strip all of the blossoms from a cluster. Maybe they only choose the sweetest? With no warning, the bird was off to the next branch. (Lucky timing by me.)
The flock only left when an early morning walker slipped past me. They'd tolerated me at only 15 feet, but I had never moved directly towards them and only shifted a few steps each time.
I had packed up to leave feeling disappointed, but got to the car elated.
Paul
