• Saturday-What'sUP September 14 - 09:53 am

Said to be a year-round visitor here UP North, this bird has a voracious appetite when it comes to eating fruit and insects. The Cedar Waxwing is one of those species of birds that has eluded my bird watching completely, as I've never seen one in these parts. Not so for Frederic W. Koski, who not only saw one, but had his camera at the ready to capture an amazing shot or two. A comment made by another bird watcher, Ken Scheibach, under today's first picture in Fred's Album, said that these birds are "fun to watch when they're eating". One of the reasons, is that if there are several sitting in a tree, they'll pass a berry along the row until the berry reaches the last bird, who then gets to enjoy the treat by swallowing the berry whole. Pretty good team work!

Good morning, awsome shots.

Great job getting it with the berry!

Those shots are great! I remember as a kid seeing those birds eating the cherries out of our cherry tree. I'd get so mad because I loved the cherries. I just love birds! They're beautiful creatures. But I STILL don't like them eating our cherries!!!

Those are not berries...they're good ol' Sugar Plums he/she is putting away. Reminds me of the robins that would fill up on fermented chinaberries then become so drunk they couldn't hang onto the branch they were sitting on....

What Super photos! Thank you! I planted a sugar plum tree in the backyard this summer so it'll be interesting to see if I get this bird enjoying the fruit it produces.

the pictures are awsome

The Cedar Waxwings seem so wary that the few times that they have passed through I've never been able to get a decent picture.

These are great pictures of a not so common, photo-shy, species!

we have an eight foot patio doorwall. I was sitting here one day and saw a squirrel and a king jay in the yard. The squirrel was digging a hole to bury his treasures as the king jay looked on. After the squirrel covered his treasure and left, the king jay took a couple of hops and dug it up and took off with it. I felt bad for the squirrel, but laughed.

the pictures are awsome

Great photo taking, I suspect you've got a nice zoom on that camera, expensive too?

Very nice.

What are sugar plums? Are they downy serviceberries? I've seen so many of their white blossoms in the spring.

Handsome Bird! I really like those shades.

No word from Capt. Paul yet. I'm sure his world is a little chaotic right now.

"When you get a chance Capt., chime in. Your Pasty bruthas and sistas are anxious."

lots of cedar waxwings winter over down below

The mocking birds here in Florida also get drunk, usually on fermenting mangos and then stager around, fall of the fence or fly into windows. What a sight.

WOW!!! Awesome job!!!

NEWS FROM CAPT. PAUL and DR. NAT...

I just got off the phone with Capt. Paul, he wanted to let all the folks here on the Pasty Cam know that Dr. Nat and he have survived the storm just fine. They had minor damage, fences down, a few shingles off, but nothing to worry about. They are of course without power and don't know how long that will continue, as talk is that it could be weeks or possibly even a month. He said that they did have very powerful winds for about 18 hours straight and that they probably only slept a few hours for the night, but he wanted me to let everyone know they are fine. Now we can all give a collective sigh of relief! :->

mooselover
Serviceberry,Sugarplum,wildplum,shadbush,Saskatoon, (the city in Canada was named for one member)
are names for the genus "Amelanchier" of which there are numerous members and hybrids in North America.The fruits are similar, though they vary in size and some are sweet, some very tart.

I've read about the courtship ritual where the Male and Female pass the fruit back and forth to each other, but unfortunately have not seen it.
Thank you for the kind comments! Fred.

A collective sigh of relief!