FORT SILL, Okla., March 31, 2016 -- I listened for about 20 minutes to the high-pitched whistles of a flock of cedar waxwings outside the Tribune window the other day, and wondered what kept them in the huge tree for so long.
The tree was laden with fresh catkins of tiny, and undoubtedly sweet, flowers, and this flock was going gangbusters stripping them from their stalks. A head-on photo opp from the second floor would have been perfect, but because of screens on the one that opened (Monica's), or a permanent pane on the leaky one (mine), it wasn't going to happen. So I went outside and tried for an angle that showed more than the bird's belly.
Alas, that's what you mostly see of cedar waxwings, since they tend to stay far above eye-level when they forage.
But a close view shows how subtly lovely these gregarious birds really are. Sporting a saucy black mask and a jaunty crest, their silky brown feathers on the back transition to blue-gray down to the tail, which ends in a band of lemon yellow. The belly is softly washed with yellow.
However, the most interesting thing about waxwings, and which gives them their name, is the red drops of "wax" on the wing feathers of some birds. Why these red drops are there, no one knows.
Cedar waxwings are winter residents of Oklahoma, and breed mostly in the northern states and Canada. Their diet is high in fruits of all sorts, and waxwings can sometimes become intoxicated when they imbibe in berries that have fermented on the vine. They also love certain flower petals and sweet nectar, both of which were in abundance on this tree.
I've seen them on my apple trees in Maine plucking the white petals and devouring them, or passing them to their mates in a display of affection. They always travel in flocks and generally keep up a steady stream of short, thin whistles as they forage or fly. People of a "certain age" often lose their ability to hear these very high-pitched calls.
Take the time to look up, and even if you can't hear them, you might discover a flock of these lovely birds feasting on flowers or berries before they move north for the summer.
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