Cedar Waxwing Gallery

Cedar waxwing in a tree at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Wax Tips

I arrived early one morning in late May at Ridgefield and almost immediately regretted the decision. While the auto tour normally provides a good glimpse of waterfowl and other animals in the marshes, by late May the grass has grown so high that you can’t see into most of the marshes.

I stopped by the observation blind and figured I might as well take a short look before continuing on, and stopped in my tracks as soon as I got out of the car: a small flock of waxwings was in a berry tree at the edge of the parking area. I witnessed for the first time a mated pair passing a berry back and forth. I had the wrong lens on for pictures, and decided to watch the display rather than try for a picture.

This is one of the birds that was sitting back in the middle of the tree. You can see the waxy yellow tips on the bird’s tail, but not the waxy red tips of the wing that give the bird its name. I may not have gotten any pictures of the berry display, but nevertheless I was thankful I had gotten out of bed that morning after all.

A cedar waxwing swallows a berry at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Down the Hatch!

This spring when the waxwings came migrating through, I specifically watched for them in the bushes and trees with ripened berries. Waxwings are famous for passing berries between each other, but this berry's destiny was straight down the hatch.

A cedar waxwing perches on a narrow branch

Waxwing on White

I saw this waxwing in Washington but my first encounter with these social birds was years ago and across the country in the hills of West Virginia. While hiking in Pipestem State Park, I came across one small tree that had fruited out. The waxwings flew from the surrounding trees, grabbed their berries, and flew back to their perches. They didn't seem bothered by my presence so I stood near their flight path and listened as they whizzed by and by and by my head as the world shrank to just a boy and his birds.