The goal of every bird watcher is to see a new face at the feeder or in the backyard. We love our regulars – the cardinals, bluebirds, robins, chickadees, the jays and other year round residents – but to see a visitor on occasion is really exciting. It happened to me early this week.
Through the kitchen window, I saw dozens of small birds in the birdbath – at least 20. They looked like female goldfinches, smallish olive birds. I have never seen that many female finches in a gang, much less in the water bath.
I noticed the water in the bath was pretty low. So I filled up a large water container and headed out. Then, to my left in our lily pond, I saw another 6 or 8 birds and they weren’t finches at all, but cedar waxwings. They all flew off when I entered the backyard, but they returned almost as soon as I left. They must have been really, really thirsty.
I have seen these gorgeous little birds several times in the past, usually in the early spring and always high in the treetops. They travel in flocks of 15 or 20, but I have never seen them close or at a feeder.
Cedar waxwings are year round residents of Virginia, but they favor areas with lots of cedar trees – the berries and cones of which form much of their diets. They will move around in search of food, and in this case, water. I have always advised fellow birders if they want to attract visitors, do it with water. The waxwings were not at all interested in my several birdfeeders. It’s water that they needed.
Waxwings are maybe a bit smaller than a cardinal, but larger than a finch. The name is derived from the red, wax-like wing tips and their fondness for the small cones formed by cedar trees.
Our neighbors once had a huge cedar tree beside our fence that attracted waxwings, but they cut it down a few years back. It wasn’t a very pretty tree, but the waxwings liked it. If you have a cedar tree that may have popped up wild, leave it. Don’t cut it down and maybe the cedar waxwings will pay your yard a visit.