Alert adult Cedar Waxwing watching other waxwings – Nikon D500, f8, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I enjoyed a slow, relaxing drive in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday morning, the sky was clear, the birds were great and I felt calmness wash over me. I love that feeling.
Among the birds I photographed were two species that have crests which are Belted Kingfishers and Cedar Waxwings.
I was delighted to see my friend Loren Nebeker pull up behind me on the road and I motioned for him to pull forward so that he could photograph the kingfishers too.
I haven’t had time to go through all of the kingfisher images I took but I was able to edit three of the waxwing photos to share this morning.
The first Cedar Waxwings I saw were in Summit County and they kept flying in and out of my view. A few times the waxwings actually landed and I was able to take a few photos of them perched high up in a nearby stand of trees. The Cedar Waxwing in my photo has an alert posture because it was watching other nearby waxwings flying past where it was perched.
Adult Cedar Waxwing close up – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I saw other waxwings flying overhead as I drove at a leisurely pace along the dusty dirt road but my next opportunity to take images of them was in Morgan County where the Cedar Waxwings and Gray Catbirds were feasting on the newly ripened berries of some Black Twinberry Honeysuckles.
As soon as I stopped my Jeep two Cedar Waxwings popped into view. The waxwings were close so I took portraits of them perched among the honeysuckles. It isn’t often that I have this species in my viewfinder so near to where I am so I indulged myself and took a slew of them.
Close up adult Cedar Waxwing perched in honeysuckles – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I adore the masked appearance of Cedar Waxwings and their soft, downy looking feathers too.
A noisy pickup drove past and flushed the waxwings but not before I was pleased with the images I took. I sat for a few minutes to see if the waxwings would come back and when they didn’t I decided to head down the road.
I took a few hummingbird photos not far from where I photographed the close up waxwings and then decided to check out a few more spots that I’ve been wanting stop and sit at to see what birds might show up and that is where I heard a bird singing that I couldn’t identify. I couldn’t see the bird so I decided to pull out my phone and do a video recording hoping that I could identify the mystery bird later on.
You may need to turn your volume up to hear the songs at the 2, 13, and 25 second marks. I believe the humming sound at the beginning of the video is from a vehicle driving down the paved road about 1/4 of a mile away.
The flute-like quality of the song I heard helped me with the identification because my first thought was that I was hearing a thrush species. I used my iBird Pro app and typed in “thrush” and listened to the recordings of the thrushes that breed in Utah. I was fairly certain I wasn’t hearing Hermit thrush so I clicked on Swainson’s Thrush first to listen to their songs.
Bingo. I heard the “wh-wheedl-oo” on the recording and knew I had solved the mystery. I wish the Swainson’s Thrush had shown itself but I sat there until it stopped singing and it never appeared. From now on though that song won’t be a mystery to me and perhaps the next time I hear it the thrush it will also come into view.
Life is good. Stay safe.
Mia
Listen to another Swainson’s Thrush recording here.
Click here to see more of my Cedar Waxwing photos plus facts and information about this species.
I first discovered Cedar Waxwings through your posts and they quickly became one of my favs. What a stately and beautiful bird! As always, your shots are rich in color and detail. Thanks Mia.
Cedar Waxwings are such beautiful birds! To me, they often appear to be an airbrush painting rather than living, breathing creatures. Your shots today bring a huge silly grin to my face, as does the recording of the Swainson’s Thrush. (I thought he just made hawks. 😉 )
Although these beautiful, sleek birds are called “wax wings” for the sealing wax red on their wings, their soft colors make them look like they are made of wax…
Loved the masked bandit look that the Cedar Waxwings rock – and am very, very glad that you had such an excellent morning.
They are beautiful birds and the feathers as soft as they look. I am happy you had a relaxing day.
Beautiful photos Mia
Love CWs….their feathers are so beautiful!
OMGosh….the close-ups of the Cedar Waxwings are gorgeous.