Flock Party

Every year the Cedar Waxwings travel to eat from the yamazakura cherry tree that grows in my front yard...

Cedar Waxwings are largely fruit eaters and migratory, flying from ripened tree to ripened tree in fairly large flocks.  

At least a hundred or more birds come to feed on my tree, taking about two or three days to strip the tree of its tiny fruit.

With the sun shining, the skies clear and the temperatures mild, it's been a gorgeous holiday weekend. 

The windows have been open and we are busily working to prepare our house for Jack's graduation party next Sunday.

While I was cleaning the spare bedroom for Jim's Mom and brother to visit, I heard the trilling chorus of the Cedar Waxwings and I knew they were here.

Their call is a very high-pitched, shrill whistle and it's easy to miss if you don't know to listen for it.

The Cedar Waxwings are sleek and graceful in appearance and get their name from the waxed appearance of their wings.

Except for their high-pitched trill, they are fairly quiet as they flit around in and among the branches to harvest their meal.

They tend to stay high in the tree canopy and underneath the leaves so catching them with a camera takes patience.  I must have stood there for close to a half hour trying to get these shots.  I have over a hundred other attempts that show mostly leaves and various bird parts as I missed shot after shot.

One of my neighbors stopped to ask what I was doing standing out in the middle of the yard.  The birds are so secretive and stealthy with their work, that they aren't terribly visible to the passerby.

To me they look a bit like Asian ninjas with their black mask and aerodynamic-looking crest.

It's a thrill to stand beneath the tree and watch so many of them flitter about at once.  

This year I was lucky enough to have my camera ready, a nice day AND photogenic subjects...

It has been an incredible birding year so far.  First the hawks, then the ospreys in Florida, then the bluebirds, and now the Waxwings...

If this keeps up, you all are going to think this is a birding blog!  

The last few months have been busy with Jack's last weeks of school.  This week is full of festivities and pomp...a mother/son luncheon, family coming from Texas and ending the week with graduation and a party.  Life is good.

I hope to be back to my needles next week and posting more regularly then.  In the meantime, I'm soaking up every moment as my nest gets closer and closer to emptying.

Happy Memorial Day all.  I hope you have a magical week.