Cedar Waxwings are social birds that like to tour the countryside in large groups. Strangely, these flocks are called “earfuls of waxwings” by those who insist on using collective bird names. Well, we got quite an earful of these sleek masked bandits yesterday morning.
At least 50 of them robbed us, taking mostly winterberries and serviceberries, but also spending some quality treetop time gleaning late summer insects.
Cedar Waxwings got their name from their love of small eastern red cedar (juniper) cones and the almost invisible dab of red near the end of their wings that looks like a drip of sealing wax.
(Brooklin, Maine)