June Waxwings

 

On two occasions earlier this week, I was almost certain I had seen a couple of Cedar Waxwings, outside their customary (and quite irregular) visitation schedule. Last night at bedtime, there was no question. An entire flock of them (more than a dozen) showed up to scavenge the seed scattered below the feeders. Several even came to the back steps, picking seeds out of the dry moss and from pockets in the concrete. They were nervous and flighty, but I managed to grab this photo for documentation purposes. It was surprising to see them at this time of year. When they do show up (and that only happens every four or five years), it almost always coincides with the Mountain-ash trees either being in flower or when their fruits are ripe.

Awaiting Waxwings

Day 289: A little over a month ago, I had a solitary juvenile Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) perch on the shepherd's-hook immediately outside the window. I hope he was taking notes, because the Sitka Mountain-ash berries are beginning to ripen, and there's nothing Cedar Waxwings like better. They (the berries) are in somewhat short supply this year due to bizarrely fluctuating weather in June, 90 one day, nearly freezing the following night, a pattern which played hob with many of my plants including the hardy kiwis. Nevertheless, there are enough mountain-ash berries on my two trees to keep a small flock of Waxwings happy for a day or two, and the ones they don't eat will be gobbled up by migrating robins. Both species of bird like the fruit a bit past its sell-by date when the pith begins to get somewhat winy. I'm not expecting Waxwings for two or three more weeks, but I hope that solo visitor carried the message home.

Cedar Waxwing

Day 251: "That's a Cedar Waxwing!" I said, surprised to see the bird (Bombycilla cedrorum) on the shepherd's-hook close to the window rather than in the cover of a tree, and somewhat puzzled at observing it at this time of the year. The Sitka Mountain-ash tree berries are green and hard, without flowers or ripe fruit to entice the species. Admittedly, that's not an exclusive diet, and upon checking, I found that they also eat serviceberries, but even those are rather scarce in the immediate vicinity. This bird may have been dining on insects in lieu of fruit. Waxwings are known to catch mayflies in flight as well as other bugs. That said, they generally come here in spring and fall, and are absent during the summer. I think the weather may have us all confused.

Waiting For Waxwings

Day 291: Many plants and animals and undergoing phenologic shifts due to the changing climate, and because some are drifting toward earlier seasons and others to later ones, this can be critical. We are seeing wildflower blooms before the arrival of species-specific pollinators, with the consequence that the wildflower species do not set seed and the pollinators go hungry if they cannot adapt to other food sources (and many are not biologically equipped to do so). Another glaring example of radical phenologic divergence is taking place right in my own yard. For the last several years, the fruits on my Sitka Mountain-ash (Sorbus sitchensis) have been ripening earlier and earlier. Now almost a month ahead of its original period, the fruit is colouring while the Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are still far to the north where food is plentiful. At the same time, the Waxwings have been arriving here later and later, and last year, the berries had already begun to fall from the Mountain-ash before they showed up in late October. This native tree is one of their primary food sources during the autumn migration. If the berries are gone when the Waxwings arrive, many will not survive their southward journey. In the long term, this may lead to a change in the Waxwings' range, extending it northward and reducing it to the south. However, the operative word in the last sentence is "may." If the Waxwings and Sitka Mountain-ash fail to perform in parallel, one or both may not survive as species.

Where Have All The Berries Gone?

Day 14: And just that quick, there they were! Had I not looked up at the precise moment I did, I would have assumed that the robins had cleaned the tree, but when I raised my eyes from my needlework, I saw the distinctive Zorro mask. "THEY'RE HERE!!!" I shouted exultantly. "THE WAXWINGS ARE HERE!!!" Quite literally, within five minutes, they had stripped the tree of every berry they deemed ripe enough to consume, leaving roughly 10% for the robins who accordingly polished off most of the remainder as well as those on the ground. And then, the Waxwings simply disappeared, their work here done for the season. That said, the robins had gobbled all of the berries from the smaller tree prior to the occasion and quite a few from the larger one (a nursery cultivar which ripens a week or so later), leaving some of the Waxwings wondering where their food source had gone. I can only hope they found enough to carry them through the next leg of their journey.

Down The Hatch!

Day 351: I had only intended to be outside long enough to fill the bird feeders at the insistence of a Chickadee, so I had not bothered to put on a jacket even though a moderate rain was falling. As I lifted the lid on the first feeder and raised my eyes, a flurry of activity in the Mountain-ash drew my attention. A dozen or more soaking-wet birds were flying in and out among the branches, lighting here and there to peck at the clusters of berries. Could it be? Had my Cedar Waxwings finally arrived? The birds seemed too dark and sleek, and some sported speckled breasts. My vision was diminishing rapidly as my glasses collected raindrops, but otherwise, I was oblivious to the rain. By the time I decided to retreat to the house, my shirt was sodden, but I had been rewarded with a glimpse of a black mask. Yes, the Cedar Waxwings were back. The darkness of their plumage, their slender outlines and even the speckling on their breasts was due to being drenched. Indoors, I trained the camera on them through the window glass and stood watching for half an hour as they stripped the native tree of its fruits. A gang of American Robins had come with them, and the two species were working in shifts: Waxwings in this tree, Robins in that, and then a changing of the guard. The Waxwings clearly preferred the native fruit, but when the Robins overwhelmed them, they retreated to the nursery cultivar. The Robins, thinking that the Waxwings had found something better, would then join them there. Once the native tree was empty of Robins, the Waxwings returned to it. By evening, that tree was almost bare of fruit, but the cultivar still held several large clusters of berries. Perhaps they weren't quite ripe enough to suit the birds' palates, but I expect they'll be back today to finish the job they began yesterday afternoon.

I Am Light, I Am Shadow

Day 352: People might wonder why anyone would plant a tree which would drop a messy load of berries in their yard come autumn. It's for this, this right here: a once-a-year, hit-or-miss, might-happen-or-not event lasting a few days at most. Of course, I am speaking of the arrival of the Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum), to my way of thinking one of the most beautiful birds of the Pacific Northwest. A few days ago, the American Robins began working on the berries on the smaller of my two Mountain-ash trees, a native shrub rather than a cultivar like the larger one which overhangs my driveway, so I have been on a window vigil, hoping to catch sight of a Waxwing. Yesterday, deep in the shadows of the leaves, I spotted something not-Robin. It seemed to have a freckled breast, and that threw me off for a few minutes until I checked my field guide. Have I really never seen a young Waxwing before? The adults have a clear breast, so clear and uniform in colour that it looks painted, but yes, the juveniles are mottled and blotched. The youngster stayed hidden as much as he could, only tempted out as far as the juicy berries borne on a branch tangled into the neighbouring dogwood. Others were more brazen, but still gave way when an influx of clumsy robins overwhelmed them. I watched as bunch after bunch of orange berries disappeared into hungry mouths. I think the supply will last two or three more days at most. Then the brief harvest festival of Waxwing Days 2020 will have passed into history.

Wonderful Waxwings

Day 278: A seasonal delight, the Cedar Waxwings returned to my yard a few days ago and have been busily de-bugging between the weeds which pass for my lawn. Yesterday evening, a group of four birds took turns hunting or perching on the fence, so while fending off mosquitoes with one hand, I managed to capture a digital record with the other.

Bombycilla cedrorum presents such smoothness of body colour that it is difficult to distinguish feather texture even when seen at close range. The transition between its milky-tea brown head and yellowish flanks occurs so smoothly that it fools the eye. However, Cedar Waxwings' distinctive black mask augmented by a thin white line around the edge is striking, and the tail is marked by a yellow band across the tip. The wings are unpatterned except for a frost of white on the tertial feathers and the waxy red "drops" which are sometimes visible on the tips of the secondaries. This feature is characteristic of the species and gives it its common name. It is believed that this secretion is a concentration of the pigments contained in the red berries preferred by the birds (mountain ash, honeysuckle, dogwood, etc.), a factor which may also influence the depth of colour found at the tips of the tail-feathers. Waxwings also consume bugs, buds and blossoms, but their diet is largely fruit.

Hanging Out

Day 240: Ohop Valley is an excellent locale for birdwatching, and although I'd stopped by in the hopes of catching a snapshot of a Yellowthroat, it was the Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) who stole the show. Their colors are clear, breasts and flanks unmarked by any of the flecks or speckles which camouflage other species, black facial masks outlined with white, and tailfeathers "dipped in yellow paint." A keen-eyed observer may be able to make out bright red, waxy drops on the tips of the secondary flight feathers, the physical feature which gives these birds their name. Cedar Waxwings are not related to jays as some people think, although their heads are similarly crested. They are a very gregarious species, often grouping in large flocks when feeding. A hundred Cedar Waxwings in a chokecherry tree is a sight to behold!