Cedar Waxwings and Spiked Berries

My granddaughter and I were out and about yesterday and we saw several cedar waxwings gleaning crabapple trees, junipers and holly bushes.  They were working like busy bees, as they cleared entire limbs of their berries.   My granddaughter is 3 and when she saw them she said they looked like pirates.  I didn't know what she meant, but when I asked, she said they had on masks.   Leave it to a three year old to put things into perspective.   We saw them first at Carnaby Square in downtown London, and then at the Somerset Community College Campus and in a yard near our home.   Several customers had called to say they'd spotted their first of the winter.   Abi and I were just having an easy evening and we spotted three different flocks in one evening. 

The name "waxwing" comes from the waxy red secretions found on the tips of the secondary wings of some birds.  They exact function of this waxy substance isn't known, but thought to be used to help attract mates. 

Since the waxwing specializes in eating berries, occasionally they become intoxicated and even die when they run across overripe berries that have started to ferment and produce alcohol. 

When I first (identified) the cedar waxwing a couple of years ago, I was quite sure I'd seen them before and just misidentified them as a female cardinal.  Brown and gray in color and with the little tufts on their head, I'd never given second thought, but once I spotted the yellow tail bar and some red spots on their wings, I knew I was looking at a cedar waxwing.  They move from here, Kentucky, to Panama and Costa Rica for the winter, more and more are wintering in the southern most United States. 

The cedar waxwings eat the whole berries and let them pass thru, instead of spitting out the seed.

American Crow

 American Crow 

Size & Shape : A large, long-legged, thick-necked bird with a heavy, straight bill. In flight, the wings are fairly broad and rounded with the wingtip feathers spread like fingers. The short tail is rounded or squared off at the end.

Color Pattern : American Crows are all black, even the legs and bill. When crows molt, the old feathers can appear brownish or scaly compared to the glossy new feathers.

Behavior :  American Crows are very social, sometimes forming flocks in the

millions. Inquisitive and sometimes mischievous, crows are good learners and problem-solvers, often raiding garbage cans and picking over discarded food containers. They’re also aggressive and often chase away larger birds including hawks, owls and herons.

Cool Facts : American Crows congregate in large numbers in winter to sleep in communal roosts.  These roosts can be of a few hundred up to two million crows.  Some roosts have been forming in the same general area for over 100 years. 

*   Young American Crows do not breed until they are at least two years old, and most do not breed until they are four or more.  In most populations, the young help their parents raise young for a few years.  Families may include up to 15 individuals and contain young from five different years. 

*   The America Crow appears to be the biggest victim of West Nile Virus.  Crows die within one week of infection, and few seem to be able to survive exposure.  No other North American bird is dying at the same rate from disease.

*   Crows sometimes make and use tools.  Examples include a captive crow using a cup to carry water over to a bowl of dry mash and shaping a piece of wood and sticking it into a hole in a fence post in search of food.

Wow, what a pretty day

On my way to work this morning I spotted mallards, and a great blue heron, and a little carolina wren sung to me as I was leaving my house.  All blessings.  I saw four eastern towhees yesterday and several cardinals, robins, and a red shouldered hawk.  I've spent a little extra time this week "bird watching", especially in Levi Jackson Park.   My granddaughter, Abi, and I, saw 5 deers, 4 squirrels, a red bellied and a pileated woodpecker on one outing.  She's three and getting to be quite the bird lover.  With the changing weather be looking for yellow bellied sapsuckers as well as look on any water you're near for ducks as they are migrating thru.   Just take a little extra time to realize all the beauty around you, it's such a treat