On Sunday I was in Cedar Mountain, near Brevard, NC
and I was charmed by these beautiful birds
feasting on the ripe pyracantha berries.
They're not a bird that I see around our place. . .
A look at the bird book suggests they might be Cedar Waxwings . . .
Do any of you know for sure?
19 comments:
Great shots, Vicki!!!
We don't have Cedar Waxwings up here, unfortunately, but they sure look like the pictures in my bird books! You got some great shots of them, Vicki.
Nicely captured, Vicki. Pyracantha berries are a favourite with some of our native species, too.
Wonderful pictures! What a treat that must have been to watch! Have a grand day! Cathy
Pyracantha berries are a favorite of the cedar waxwings. Since our bush is loaded with berries this year, I'm hoping we'll get a visit.
Wow, what great pics! I think these are Cedar Waxwings. I've only seen them once, when I was a teen living in Atlanta, and a CLOUD of them descended on our crabapple tree - at least I think it was a crabapple. I'm a bit fuzzy on the type of tree after 30+ years, but perfectly clear on the memory of how amazed I was to see so many birds in that tree, all squawking and squabbling over the fruit.
smiles. i bet they were enjoayable to watch...that is a mouthful in that one picture...ha.
Beautiful. It's been a while since I've seen cedar waxwings. Lots of them in B'ham, AL. I would think yes.
Great pictures! Like Brenda, I've only been visited once by a flock that ate the berries from my crabapple. I watch for them every year, but have not been lucky enough to see them since. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Vicki
Lovely! Have you thought about doing a book on a collection of your pictures?
Have a great day
Best
Tracy :)
they resemble cedars, you can see they have a crest..but they are not like ones I've seen...did they make zinging sounds as they flew...?
they seem to travel in packs...like yours seem to...maybe a related bird...
They are indeed Cedar Waxwings - the little color on their tail can either be yellow or orange-ish depending upon what seed they mostly ingest. We have large flocks of them here in the Midwest - I have a cedar tree outside my bedroom window and throughout the year they will descend and eat like crazy. When they eat the berries in the Fall they get somewhat "drunk" on the fermented berries and unfortunately, fly into the windows in a drunken manner.
Wonderful photos, Vicki. Thanks for posting them. Your images of both the Cedar Waxwings and the Pyracantha brighten what is kind of a dreary, gray day here in Maine.
BTW, Amazon just pinged me a reminder that Under the Skin is due out in two weeks. I put the reminder to good use by logging on to my account with my local indie (Longfellow Books in Portland) and pre-ordering it through them.
I'm looking forward to reading it.
Best,
Brenda
So, it looks as if the consensus is for Cedar Waxwings.
Suz -- they didn't fly -- they were too busy stuffing down berries.
Tracy -- I did a small one a couple of years ago from My Publisher. I think there's a link to it over in the sidebar A YEAR AT THE FARM. I just did it for gifts for family -- I'd love to do another some day.
Hoorah for you, Brenda! Our local Indies need all the support we can give them.
What incredible pictures...capturing the liveliness of those hungry birds! Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Vicki -- Yes they are cedar waxwings and they usually come in bunches to feast on the berries. Good post.
Wonderful captures of the birds feasting. They certainly are enjoying the fruits of the season.
Yes, those are definitely Cedar Waxwings, some of them immature. What a feast for them and for your eyes as well.
Cedar Mountain is a stone's throw from our place. No doubt you passed by Uncle Buck's on the way. Sometime when you have a lot of time perhaps we can have coffee or tea. (Sorry, but we can't offer any of Uncle Buck's 'shine.)
So beautiful to watch.
I thought pyracantha berries were poisonous... my mistake.
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