I happened upon a pair of Cedar Waxwings while on a hike in our neck of the woods this holiday weekend. 
They seemed to be collecting nesting material and I thought they were getting kind of a late start but then read the following information regarding their nesting habits: Late Nest Builders Waxwings generally nest later in the summer than most songbirds since they synchronize hatching with fruit development. Both sexes bring nest material but females do most of the nest building, lay 4 or 5 pale blue or blue-gray eggs with black or gray blotches and incubate them for 12 days. Nestlings spend another 13 days in the nest before fledging. 1 - 2 broods raised. This makes sense since the big pin cherry tree in our yard is full of fruit that is not yet ripe. The cherries usually ripen up mid-July and I've seen loads of Cedar Waxwings feasting there in the past.
Coincidentally, there was a nest visible very near where I spotted these two. I think this nest might belong to a Red-eyed Vireo however. Fly over to Bird Photography Weekly for more bird photos from all over the world.
What an interesting bird. That next is so dainty! :)
ReplyDeleteOh so pretty with the red flash on his wing.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots of the waxwings, Tammy! I especially love that second pic, showing the red-orange stripe on the wings and the bright yellow band on the tail. Most Cedar Waxwing images seem to focus more on the head and face -- I've never noticed these brilliant markings before!
ReplyDeleteGood information about the late nesting habits, too. Great post!
Love your photos of the Waxwings! When our blueberries ripen, Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings devour the berries. We have to make sure we get what we want from the bushes before they get to them.
ReplyDeleteI love waxwings - they are such handsome birds!
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