Cedar Waxwing

Thank you Costa Boy. Nice to see an old spot popping up.

great picture

Thank you Antonio. They are here earlier than last year.

Great capture Hemma,like a painting,congrats and thanks for sharing

Thank you so much Karen .

Beautiful!

added more pics

"Waxwings are among the most beautiful of passerines and when one gets good looks at any of the three species that occur worldwide those looks are almost always among the highlights of a birding day"
http://10000birds.com/cedar-waxwing-vs-b...

I was'nt lucky enough to see the red wax droplets on this bird. Would also like to see Bohemian Waxwings.

Thank you ,Noel.:)

Beautiful spot!

Thanks.

Cedar waxwings will sometimes pass berries to one another as they perch in a line on a tree branch.
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/cedarwa...

Thank you, cole.

Beautiful colors!

Thank you TL

what a beautiful bird!

The name "waxwing" comes from the waxy red secretions found on the tips of the secondaries of some birds. The exact function of these tips is not known, but they may help attract mates.
Cedar Waxwings with orange instead of yellow tail tips began appearing in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada in the 1960s. The orange color is the result of a red pigment picked up from the berries of an introduced species of honeysuckle. If a waxwing eats enough of the berries while it is growing a tail feather, the tip of the feather will be orange.
The Cedar Waxwing is one of the few North American birds that specializes in eating fruit. It can survive on fruit alone for several months. Brown-headed Cowbirds that are raised in Cedar Waxwing nests typically don’t survive, in part because the cowbird chicks can’t develop on such a high-fruit diet.
Many birds that eat a lot of fruit separate out the seeds and regurgitate them, but the Cedar Waxwing lets them pass right through. Scientists have used this trait to estimate how fast waxwings can digest fruits.
Because they eat so much fruit, Cedar Waxwings occasionally become intoxicated or even die when they run across overripe berries that have started to ferment and produce alcohol.
Building a nest takes a female Cedar Waxwing 5 to 6 days and may require more than 2,500 individual trips to the nest. They occasionally save time by taking nest materials from other birds’ nests, including nests of Eastern Kingbirds, Yellow-throated Vireos, orioles, robins, and Yellow Warblers.
The oldest known Cedar Waxwing was 8 years, 2 months old

Thanks Env and thanks so much Frazier!!

It is a small world indeed!!
Dr P has a connection with Walnut creek and now I find out that you do too!!
Thanks!

Gorgeous! My former brother-in-law lives in Walnut Creek and he is a pretty cool guy! I saw this bird at a park once. Really pretty! Great shot!

thanks Reiko! :))

How beautiful!