Today’s beautiful bird of the day is the…Cedar Waxwing. These medium sized birds are very active right now throughout Cleveland Metroparks. When I see them, I have to look twice in order to convince myself that they are not an elaborate painting amidst the foliage of the fruiting trees in which they are perched. They are frugivorous meaning that their diet consists, primarily, of berries although you can see them take flight from their perch to catch insects mid-flight. Just today, the air around Garfield Park Center is filled with the high pitched vocalizations of this sophisticated bird. You cannot miss the striking black mask, vibrant yellow tail tips and “waxy” red wing tips, for which they are named. These red wing tips appear on individuals after their second autumn and are actually flattened extensions of the feather shafts. Planting native berry-producing trees and shrubs in your yard can provide valuable food resources for Ohio wildlife. Some preferred plants of Cedar Waxwings that bear small fruits are dogwood, serviceberry, cedar, juniper, hawthorn, and winterberry. (solitary bird photo-Ken Thomas, wing tips photo-Marcel Gabhauer) I showed you my beautiful bird of the day. What is yours? SKD
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 22:30:01 +0000
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