Our large tulip tree is in bloom and, over the past few days, flocks of cedar waxwings have stopped by to feast on the showy, yellow and orange flowers. Unlike the bickering mobs of starlings and grackles, waxwings glide in silently and take their place across the canopy. Amiable, mild mannered and neatly groomed in their attractive plumage, they are the perfect dinner guests.
Common but nomadic, cedar waxwings travel about in large flocks but might go unnoticed were it not for their thin, high-pitched whistles. During the colder months, they congregate near berry producing trees where they often share the bounty, passing the fruit from one to another. Last October, I observed a lone cedar waxwing in a large western cedar on our Colorado farm; known to occasionally overindulge or to become inebriated from fermented berries, this fellow was in no condition to fly. Whatever his problem, he eventually recovered and flew off to join his comrades.
Like human societies, bird populations are composed of a wide variety of characters and personalities. Cedar waxwings, polite, friendly and soft spoken, are always welcome in our yard.
