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.