Their First Cedar Waxwings

As you know...sometimes I will be throwing in bird identification lessons for those of you who are interested.  I have this post along with more bird posts on my other blog - BirdTeach.

There are many Cedar Waxwings in the area right now, so when I saw a huge flock of them a block from school yesterday, I walked the k-kids over to see them.  After watching them for awhile, they all lifted off.  The kids were pretty excited when that happened as it was a loud whoosh of wings.  If this was their first time to see a Cedar Waxwing, it will be a life bird for them. That means it is the first time that they have seen that bird in their life.

I often see Cedar Waxwings sitting at the tops of trees, feeding on Cedar berries or flying over in flocks that sound {to me} like crickets.  

The Cedar Waxwing is a striking bird with its black mask, yellow belly, and a tan crest.They are about 5"-6" from head to tail.  The yellow stripe along the bottom of its tail and the red marking on its wing are also diagnostic in identifying this bird.  Read more here at All About Birds.  Check out the videos by our filmmaker,Tim Barksdale, on that page as well.

I took this photo of a Cedar Waxwing in August at the refuge.

It is a very pretty bird!

This group was a block from the school.