Three Favorites from May 2023

It's time to wrap up May with three bird images that have some meaning to me.  First, is an elegant Cedar Waxwing that was part of a group of about five that were gleaning caterpillars incredibly close to my parked car.

Waxwings are a huge treat when they appear.  Their contact singing is so extremely high pitched that any background noise will surely leave it disguised.  They move through the cover like ghosts.  

On the same morning, a pair of Brown Thrashers appeared.  Not shy like waxwings: rather bold in human terms.  More often they are in grass fields, so finding this one perched was unusual. It appeared to be surveying the grasses for insects.

The thrashers generally nest in a series of dense thorn bushes.

Bobolinks are always a subject for my May outings. It seemed to be an off year for them and most outings were failures, especially in the quest for flight images.  This boy did stop to sing in the hope that the females had arrived from South America.  The rich yellow cap on the head plus the bold black and white patterns on the back (not visible) are supplemented by their bubbling song. Look at the scalloped ends on the tail feathers. 

Two weeks later, all of the singing was over and the ladies were in their ground nests. 

I noted the black and white patterns on the back.  Well, the otherwise inadequate flight image on the left does illustrate one more reason I track these boys in May.  This was at 1/2000 second, and I still couldn't precisely track his flight.  Next year!

 

Next for me is June in Shenandoah National Park.

Paul
 

Surprise!! Cedar Waxwings

 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

A Good Morning

Sometimes, I think few words are needed to tell the story.

In August, I look forward to the appearance of  beautiful spider webs in the wildflower fields.  Today was a dewy morning with bright sunlight, so they were like jewelry dancing in the light.

But, I was after birds.  The first one was a small Eastern Wood-Peewee along a marsh dike on an Elderberry bush. It is a Tyrant Flycatcher, so it was likely after insects around the bushes or just using the top of the bush as a perch to hunt.

I was particularly looking for the Elderberry bushes because Cedar Waxwings like to feed on them.

I ran off a LOT of shots to finally catch one with a berry in its beak.  After three trips to feed, the flock settled down and the action was over.  So, I  went over to check some marsh areas.  Not a colorful bird, but I find the Double-crested Cormorants to often be a stately presence as they dry their wings in the sun.

I finished off the day with a sandpiper, likely a Lesser Yellowlegs.

 Not a bad  way to spend a Sunday morning.

Paul