• Thursday-What'sUP February 2 - 09:39 pm

During the winter months, the Cedar Waxwing, photographed here by Shawn and Brian Malone, feasts on fruit trees, such as the crabapples you see them eating here today. These silky looking birds are common across the U.P., but you won't find them at your feeders, since their diet consists of fruit in the winter months with insects added during the summer months. Shawn told me she was sorry to see the crab apples just about gone, since she won't be seeing as much of these colorful birds for the rest of the winter

I love waxwings. I think they're so pretty! But then, birds just bring a smile to my face!

Thanks for the great shots of this one!

Fantastic pictures! Beautiful bird!

Optical illusion...At first glance I thought the first pic was a tropical fish in an aquarium.

Nice clear photos with good detail.

Once a flock of these birds gorged themselves on fermented (apparently) plums in our backyard in Eagle River. They then hung around like a bunch of drunks, leaning on each other,some laying on the ground. I thought for a minute that they were dead, until I figured it out.Later they sobered up and left!

I second the optical illusion idea. I, too, though the first picture's background was blurred out water. Beautiful bird photos, thank you.

Beautiful pictures. Reminds me of Taka.

That is too funny, Dane!;)
These are beautiful birds, their masks make them unique.

Alex...me too. Glad I'm the only one :O>) We used to get a flock of cedar waxwings gorging on some bushes by our front porch. Never noticed any inebriated ones tho. How funny!

I ll 3rd that

I thought it was a fish, too! Can't decide if I like the 2nd or 3rd picture best.

Great photos! The Cedar Waxwing sure is a handsome bird (even if he is a bit of a drunk)

Hi
What beautiful close-up photos. In college, I took an ornithology class. Part of the final exam was identifying birds, outside in nature; the teacher would point to birds, saying "That's number 1", that's number 2" and so on, and we would write the name on our test sheet. When we got to number 6, it was hard to see; he could tell we were all struggling so he finally said "It has a yellow band on it's tail". Aha! Cedar waxwing!

WOW! Sooper pictures this morning!

By Mary Drew at Pasty Central (Mdrew) on Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 07:59 am:
These silky looking birds are common across the U.P., but you won't find them at your feeders, since their diet consists of fruit in the winter months with insects added during the summer months.

Not completely true, Mary!! When we lived in Red Jacket, we used to get Waxwings at our feeders throughout the winter months. We bought a variety of bird food that had dried fruit bits in it so we would attract all different sorts of birds, including Waxwings. I believe we bought it from Drs. Foster and Smith out of Rhinelander.

Speaking of inebreated birds: one day I was home from work when I heard this gawdawful noise coming from outside sounding like someone screaming their head off. When I looked to see, I found my answer. A Pileated Woodpecker had eaten far too many of the old chokecherries off our tree and got totally smashed!! When I looked, it was hanging upside-down (still clutched to the branch) happily screaming away. Had I had a camera handy, I would have shot a few photos because it was out there for quite a long time just munching away. Eventually, it flew off when it sobered up.

These pictures made me say, "WOW!" I mean, GORGEOUS!! We don't see these birds out here in Washington state. Thanks for sharing these lovely shots.

Reading your post and Dane's, Capt. Paul, I think we all know now why the waxwings especially like fruit. I've never heard of bird seed 'fermenting'.;) "Nature-made firewater"

My folks had a mountain ash tree outside a large picture window at their home in Oxford, and in the late fall, the robins would go for the soured fruit and get quite drunk. Some would take off, not realizing the large window was a window and fly smack into it. Some were fortunate in that they'd just fall down, collect their wits and later on fly away...... others, well, they weren't so lucky. Moral here, is don't eat rotten fruit and try to fly.

Capt Paul at least he knew enough not to drink and drive. Or, should I say eat and fly in that condition.

Those are just beautiful photos this morning! I have seen cedar waxwings only on occasion here in northern MN. Always a treat when I do though! They seem to appear in early spring to eat what ever is left of the berries on the trees from the previous year.

Pretty bird.

Shawn and Brian, you could skewer some oranges for the waxwings like I have seen folks do for orioles. Good luck.

Wonderful, wonderful shots. Waxwings would show up in the summer at my grandparents' cottage, and I remember their singular, high, solitary notes. Such pretty birds. Don't have them down here in the Lower.