Bird Journal: Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwing with red tips

The Shack is a wonderful place to watch birds. There are many different species to watch. It is just a matter of me becoming more adept at identifying them. This past weekend, a large flock of birds was watching me while I worked in the yard, trying to make a berry patch and plant some thornless blackberries. I was nearly certain they were Cedar Waxwings. I snapped some photos and looked closely at the photos after I returned home. Yes indeed, they were Cedar Waxwings. And I was very excited about that sighting.

Cedar Waxwings

I am familiar with Cedar Waxwings from growing up in Indiana. I would see them in the woods, near small lakes. Then in Maryland, I would find them along river banks. I cannot describe their calls, but their sound catches my attention. When I hear them, I know there is a familiar bird in the area and I should look closely. That was what caught my attention this weekend - the familiar chirping sounds. As soon as I looked, a flash of narrow yellow stripe at the end of a tail caught my eye.

I was surprised to see a large flock of them at The Shack - not along a river but atop a ridge. They were sitting in the trees watching me work in the yard. My photos aren't the best quality, but they were good enough to verify that they were indeed Cedar Waxwings.

click to enlarge

Now that I know they are there, I want to continue to attract them to my yard. So I looked up their habitat information.

Food. All About Birds advises planting of native, fruit-bearing trees and shrubs to attract Cedar Waxwings. This list of plants includes: dogwood, serviceberry, juniper, cedar, hawthorn, and winterberry. I'd imagine that the birds will be very pleased when the blackberries I planted bear fruit!

Note to self: buy some bird netting for the berry patch. 

According to Project Feeder Watch, they prefer platform feeders and fruit.

Nest Boxes. So far, it doesn't look as though bird nest boxes are helpful. Waxwings tend to build their nest in the crooks of trees.

Birdbaths. My research indicates that Cedar Waxwings enjoy birdbaths. That is good news since a really nice birdbath is on my wish list (I love the Stone Creation granite birdbaths and included a link to one below). 

Bohemian Waxwing (Cedar Waxwing Look-alike) 

I have trouble with "similar" birds and identification so I am trying to pay more attention to birds that could confuse me. The Bohemian Waxwing is very similar in appearance to the Cedar Waxwing.  The Bohemian Waxwing lives further north than my place in West Virginia. On the maps, it would be a "rare" sighting at my place.  But just in case, I want to be informed. 

The Bohemian Waxwing has a "rust" colored underside - under it's tail. And a bit of white on the wing. Otherwise, it is very similar in appearance to the Cedar Waxwing.

Bohemian Waxwing

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Photograph attribution:
Intro photo - from Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0 - Dawn Huczek
Bohemian Waxwing photo - courtesy Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0 - Randen Pedersen