Friday, February 8, 2013

Nature Study: Birds

Birds are a delight in our home, and sighting a new bird is a particular thrill.

Last February I had the thrill to see for the first time, in the crab apple tree outside my kitchen window, a cedar waxwing. Sadly it took me a good ten minutes to realize that I was not looking at a female cardinal, and the six "female cardinal"s were long gone before I managed to find a source that helped me understand that I had been seeing a cedar waxwing. And no photographs taken.
So bear with me here for a few minutes. All winter this year I have been missing our seasonal birds. Now I still think of it as winter, but on February 2 Pauxatauney Phil said that spring will come early this year. Imagine my delight, yesterday, when I found my yard and tree swarming with robins and starlings!  I can see from my photos that I didn't photograph the swarms, preferring to photograph individual birds.   
         

I can even forgive them the mess they were making of my van! 
    
One handsome bird even came to pose right in front of me!
      
    
But imagine my joy when I detected that there was an additional bird among the swarms: my annual visit from the cedar waxwings!
   
   
I'm not sure how many there were, but this year I was able to get some very satisfying photographs, although not many. 
Now, unfortunately my son didn't get to see Mr. Cedar Waxwing. It was lunch break and he was playing Mine Craft. By the time he came to see, all the birds had "flown the coop".
Thanks for reading!
















4 comments :

  1. Cedar waxwings are seasonal birds here too and when they come, they come by the dozens. I love the yellow tip of their tail and the cone on their heads. (We don't have cardinals so the waxwings are a treat.)

    So glad you were able to capture a few in photos so you can share with your son since he couldn't see them himself.

    Thanks for sharing your birds with the OHC.

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  2. My dream is to capture the Tufted Titmouse. They are so cute. So far, no luck even spotting one.

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  3. I would love to see a cedar waxwing too! Glad you got a photo.

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  4. My Granny always loved to watch the birds out her window. You got some close pictures of these.

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