Waxwings are a curious conundrum. They are free spirits, but they also flock together. They wander widely, while also being constrained within their social matrix. They may show up in different and distant locations from one year to the next, from week to week, and even from day to day, but they are always in a group. Someday, some smart scientist will determine how they choose the timing of their departures. They love fruit, especially, in the Fall when it is ripe. I suspect that following the fruit, as it ripens, is included in their decision-making process. Weather can vary greatly from year to year and, in turn, it can impact when and where fruit ripens. Nonetheless, when they find fruit, sometimes, they stay until it's gone, and sometimes they do not. The mystery continues.
I have watched them feeding on a Cotoneaster bush that was heavily laden with fruit. The next day, ninety percent of the berries were still there and the Waxwings were gone. Maybe, they only use Cotoneaster as fuel, to power their search for something sweeter.
On the other hand, I have found them feasting on the fruit of Hawthorn trees, more than once. On October 29th, they were on Foster Island feeding on the bright red berries. By the time I found them, the fruit was getting fairly sparse and much of what was left looked like it was past its prime. A week later, I could not find them on Foster Island or anywhere else nearby.
Most of the birds I found, on the 29th, were adult Cedar Waxwings. Please note the subtle yellow tummy and also the white under-tail coverts.
Besides the adults, there were also some first-year Cedar Waxwings. At this stage, the young ones have stripes on the chest instead of the clean subtle transition (from a beige chest to a yellow belly) like an adult.
However, the bird in the first photo was not a Cedar Waxwing. Did you notice anything uniquely different about it?
There are two fairly obvious clues in that photo, and in this one, that will help you differentiate this bird from Cedar Waxwings. One is the rufous coloring both above and below the face mask. The second is the solid grey of both the chest and the belly. These are not the only differences, they are just the ones most easily seen when the bird is facing you.
A couple of other critical distinguishing features are:
- The mosaic of colors on their folded wings and
- The rufous feathering of their under-tail coverts.
Worldwide, there are three species of Waxwings. They are all strikingly beautiful, they all have black masks, they all may have tiny, red, waxy structures on the tips of their secondary wing feathers, and they all live in the Northern Hemisphere. Japanese Waxwings are found in Japan and nearby in Northeastern Asia. Cedar Waxwings are typically found only in North America. Bohemian Waxwings are much more dispersed. Depending on the time of year, they can be found in Europe, Asia, and North America.
The next two links dynamically display 52 weeks of sightings for the Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings. Be sure to press the white triangle, found on the blue background, to get the maps moving.
For the Bohemian Waxwings you should start by clicking once on the plus sign, to enlarge the globe, then rotate the globe so that you are looking at Greenland. This is the best perspective for seeing the all the Bohemian migrations at one time. (Then click on the white triangle.)
Both the Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings migrate east to west, as well as north and south.
Sadly, there is no dynamic display for the Japanese Waxwing. Unlike the other two species, their annual migration appears to be more of a conventional, north-to-south movement.
You will not be able to enter the Birds of the World online application unless you are a member. However, as a guest, should still be able to see their range map, by scrolling down slightly.
By the way, Birds of the World is a wonderful resource and it is available free with a Washington Ornithological Society membership.
This is only the second time in a dozen years that I found a Bohemian Waxwing in the Arboretum. According to Birdweb, the Bohemian Waxwings are irregular visitors to Puget Sound. I understand this to mean, they are even less common here than birds classified as "rare". Needless to say, I was quite excited to see this bird.
Bohemian Waxwings weigh roughly twice as much as Cedar Waxwings. They also have more of a gray tint, which is most obvious when directly compared to the beige back of a Cedar Waxwing. The Bohemian is on the left.
Here we can see the bright coloring on the tips of the Bohemian's primary and secondary wing feathers. As mentioned earlier, both species may have these red wax-like structures, which gives them the name Waxwings. However, the Bohemians have considerably more white and yellow highlights. The arrangement of which, when their wings are folded, leaves me wondering where these colors are located on their extended wings.
This older photo, of an adult Cedar Waxwing, shows that, with primarily just the red "wax", their wing tips are almost subtle by comparison.
I understand that older adult males are not the only ones to have the red "wax", but they are said to have the most.
This photo shows the Bohemian's colored highlights on the extended left wing. The primary feathers have mostly yellow tips on the leading edge and corner, except for, the first two or three which have white. Also, we can see a streak of white on the ends of the upper primary coverts. Finally, the secondaries have white tips followed by the occasional round, red roll of "wax".
It is interesting how the yellow and white highlights are completely hidden when viewing the underside of the bird's right wing. Could this be evolutionary camouflage? The bright colors are only viable when they are facing away from a predator, on the other hand when they are flying towards a predator their plain wings make them more difficult to notice.
I was transfixed by the Bohemian. It would pick a berry and then fly away to a safer location to consume it.
Multiple times it returned and repeated the process. Here, I suspect it was searching for predators before deciding if it was safe to look down and pick the berry.
It seems as if the fruit is calling its name.
It cannot resist. It is a frugivore after all. This time it decides to stay and grab a second helping. Notice how the highlights are hidden when viewing the underside of the wings.
I counted at least six times that the Bohemian left and returned. Each time it came and sat directly in front of me with the sun shining over my shoulder. I was practically holding my breath while wondering when this streak of amazing good fortune would end.
These key Bohemian Waxwings characteristics will be most useful when your find a flock of Cedar Waxwings. With your binoculars, you will want to try and scan every bird in the flock. Look for the quick flash of white and yellow on the back, or from the front for the rufous around the face.
I don't worry about noticing the difference between the beige or grayish-brown back, given the subtlety involved. The lack of a yellow belly on an adult may also be helpful. In any case, when you finally spot a free-spirited Bohemian in a flock of Waxwings, I am sure you will smile with delight and satisfaction.
A few moments later, a young Northern Harrier flew over. I believe this might be the first one I have ever seen around Union Bay. Although, the local cattails and marsh have always seemed like the perfect habitat for the Harrier's low-flying hunting style.
I am assuming this one was a young bird because of the dark eye. Adult Harriers develop light-colored irises. I expect this bird was scouting around trying to find its next meal while also trying to find its place in the world. I am not sure if a Waxwing would make a meal for a Harrier, but it would certainly be a nice appetizer.
Surprisingly, the Waxwings did not panic and fly. Instead, they immediately stopped moving. There was no noise, no fluttering wings, and no picking of fruit. They sat perfectly still. Each Waxwing I could see was facing the Harrier and thereby hiding their bright contrasting colors. It was as though they became one with the tree. They were very hard to see.
The Harrier either missed them or decided they were not worth the effort. It turned and flew south, apparently, back out over the cattails along the west side of Foster Island.
A moment later, an American Robin flew north towards the Waxwings. It came from the same direction that the Harrier had gone. It was probably looking to distance itself from the threat. The moment the Robin flew over the Hawthorn tree the whole flock flushed. The Waxwings sprang to life and followed the Robin away to the north.
It has been a busy week. The last time I looked there were no Waxwings in the Hawthorn trees on Foster Island. I wonder when and where we will see them next.
Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city and wandering visitors are always welcome!
Sincerely,
Larry
Each of us, who breathes the air, drinks water, and eats food should be helping to protect our environment. Local efforts are most effective and sustainable. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. Even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape.
I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors, and local businesses to respect native flora and support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:
1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.
2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (When native plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)
3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.
4) If you feel you must add a new plant then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants.
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Keystone native plants are an important new idea. Douglas Tallamy, in the book "Nature's Best Hope ", explains that caterpillars supply more energy to birds, particularly young birds in their nests, than any other plant eater. He also mentions that 14% of our native plants, i.e. Keystone Plants, provide food for 90% of our caterpillars. This unique subset of native plants and trees enables critical moths, butterflies, and caterpillars that in turn provide food for the great majority of birds, especially during the breeding season.
Note: Flowering plants and trees, i.e. those pollinated by bees, are also included as Keystone Plants.
This video explains the native keystone plants very nicely:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cXccWx030
The Top Keystone Genera in our ecoregion i.e. Plants and trees you might want in your yard:
Click Here
Additional content available here:
https://wos.org/wos-wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Native-Plant-Resources-10-7-22.pdf
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In the area below, I am displaying at least one photo with each post to help challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms.
Is this Hawthorn tree desirable in our yards? Is it a native to our area?
Scroll down for the answer.
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Common (or English) Hawthorn: No. I believe it is
an Old World Hawthorn tree that out-competes native plants and trees and has thorns that deter native creatures (and deters removal by humans). Nonetheless, the Waxwings love the fruit and contribute to its dispersal. If you have one of these trees, my suggestion would be to remove it when it is small and replace it with a
native Bitter Cherry. The cherries will also attract and feed the Waxwings, without the invasive issues.
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The Email Challenge:
Over the years, I have had many readers tell me that Google is no longer sending them email announcements. As of 2021, Google has discontinued the service.
In response, I have set up my own email list. With each post, I will manually send out an announcement. If you would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Something like:
Larry, Please add me to your personal email list.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Thank you!
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The Comment Challenge:
Another common issue is losing your input while attempting to leave a comment on this blog. Often everything functions fine, however, sometimes people are unable to make it past the robot-detection challenge or maybe it is the lack of a Google account. I am uncertain about the precise issue. Sadly, a person can lose their comment with no recovery recourse.
Bottom Line: If you write a long comment, please, copy it before hitting enter. Then, if the comment function fails to record your information, you can send the comment directly to me using email.My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Sincerely,Larry
Parting Shots:
Most of the birds I found, on the 29th, were adult Cedar Waxwings. Please note the subtle yellow tummy and also the white under-tail coverts.
