by Donna Lewis
Recently I had several large flocks of these very sleek looking birds in my oak trees.
These beautiful migratory birds, Cedar Waxwings, like to stay in flocks and will go all the way to Canada during the warmer months.
A sleek crest with a black mask and red wax-looking tips on their secondary wings make these birds easy to identify. The feathers on their chests are short and look slicked down.
They mostly eat fruit, berries, flower petals, some insects, and occasionally sap.
I love the fact that when they are courting male and females will sit side by side and pass flower petals back and forth, share a meal and rub beaks. How romantic! The babies are even fed by both parents.
They will drink from bird baths and sometimes eat raisins from bird feeders. But more often Cedar Waxwings keep to the wild things for food.
If you see some birds with a crest and look like Zorro, then they’re probably Cedar Waxwings.
Remember who you garden for.
Nature Along the El Camino Real 