I came out of the dentist’s office Monday morning and got into the car where Barbara was waiting for me. She said, “There’s something moving around in that holly bush that you just passed.” The bush was about 30 feet away from our parking space. We stared at it and saw nothing. I dragged up the camera with a 200-500mm lens that I always travel with. As the focusing blur cleared, this little masked beauty appeared, apparently waiting motionless for us to leave so that he could finish breakfast:
It was a single, stationary Ceder Waxwing, which was unusual; they usually travel and dine in a fluttering flock. He did eventually hop around a little in the bush, which allowed us to see why he is called a “waxwing”: There’s a little daub of red on his wingtips that looks like a dripping of red sealing wax, the kind used to seal important letters in days of yore. You’ll see it slightly better in this image:
(Images taken in Blue Hill, Maine, on March 3, 2025.)