Cedar Waxwings

I would have to say that one of the most beautiful birds that come to our yard are

the Cedar Waxwings. Now I think that all birds are beautiful, but the Cedar Waxwings go one step farther. You could almost say they look sophisticated. They never seem to have a feather out of place. Even in a stiff breeze a few feathers may fly up, but they seem to lay right back down in place perfectly. They have a nice soft color, not too flashy. But that black mask across the eyes and the yellow band across the end of the tail feathers seem to add just the right highlights. This fellow sat perched on the wire for several minutes looking around the yard while his buddies made use of the water bowls. I don't know if he was the designated watch bird, or if he was just more interested in checking out the landscape. After a while he did go to the bowl and get his drink. As far as I have been able to figure out they only come to the yard for the water. I have tried various seed mixes, with and without fruit, and fresh fruit, but all they ever seem interested in is the water.

Until we put the water bowls out I never saw a Cedar Waxwing in the yard, and I have been here

over 23 years. There is no doubt in my mind that the only reason they are here now is the water, so if you want to attract more and different kinds of birds you may want to add water to your yard if you don't have it available now. This picture didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. It was taken in the afternoon and the lighting was a little harsh. Still you can see that one bird is on the birdbath and one is on the tree waiting his turn. I was a little skeptical of this birdbath when we bought it since it was a little cheap plastic thing. It came with a small plastic bird attached to the flat surface in the middle. For a while none of the birds seemed to want to use it, until I took the silly plastic bird off. Then things picked up rapidly. Usually the smaller birds such as Chickadees and Bluebirds use this birdbath because of the size. The larger birds will come to it, but they seem to prefer a larger one that we have in a different location. The surprise was when woodpeckers started using this birdbath to get a drink. It may have been because of the drought conditions that we have had for the last four or five years that nudged them to using this source of water to get a drink, but the fall of 2001 was the first time I ever saw a woodpecker drink from it.

The Cedar Waxwings always come to the yard in a group. If you see one it is a sure bet that there

are more in the trees. They seem to be a very excitable bird and it takes them a few minutes to come on down to the water after they come into the yard. For the first few minutes they will perch in several of the trees around and kind of look things over. When they do go to the water bowls they go as a group. Some will stay in the trees, but anywhere from half a dozen to two dozen will fly to the bowls. The small bath on the tree only has room for one or two, but the larger one on the ground has room for six or eight at a time, with more on the ground and circling around. In the picture there are five perched around the rim and that gray blur in the middle left edge is the wing of another bird just arriving or leaving. This bowl is nothing more than the catch pan off of a large flower pot. It is deep enough to hold plenty of water, without being too deep for the birds to get in and take a bath. Birds up to the size of Blue Jays and Robins will use this bowl for bathing, as will smaller birds like Bluebirds. This bowl is also the favorite of the Goldfinches. If you don't already provide a source of water for the birds you may want to add one. Then you can experience another facet of your feathered friends lives.