Some unexpected visitors appeared in our back yard this week – about 25 or 30 of them and they went skinny dipping in our goldfish pond. It was a large flock of Cedar Waxwings and what beauties!
I have been seeing Cedar Waxwings in the last few years, but only passing through. I see them along about this time of year and again in mid-fall. I suppose they migrate through this area.
Cedar Waxwings are medium-sized birds, about the size of a cardinal but with a shorter tail. They are a beautiful blend of brown, gray and a soft yellow. They have wax-like wing tips, thus their name.
I read that Cedar Waxwings are attracted to the sound of running water. Our little pond has a pump that keeps it circulating. Obviously, they heard the water and that’s why they paid me a visit.
Cedar waxwings are also party animals. In the fall, they often eat fruit that has started to ferment and sometimes get a little buzz going and are subject to an F.U.I. – Flying while Under the Influence.
They eat most any berry they can find and especially like those small cones on cedar trees. They often feed in groups and if only one twig on a branch holds the berries, the waxwings will actually pass the berries in their beaks from one down to the next so all can eat.
Nature is amazing.