Cedar Waxwings on a hard frost morning
Nov 15, 2020 20:32:49 #
The weather has been fairly mild here in KY, for November, but last Thursday we had a hard frost.
All our feeders are around the deck off our living room, and we have a homemade bubbling water feature just outside the patio door on the wall at the electrical outlet. And it has a bucket heater in it.
Cedar Waxwings are not normally feeder birds, and while they are seen occasionally in our yard I have never seen one at a feeder. Imagine my surprise when I noticed movement out there and saw that little water bubbler just jammed with them! About a dozen nearby in a flock, and five or six of those took turns at the water at a time. All their regular water sources must have been frozen over.
I was able to get a few shots with the lens I keep on my camera (100-400mm w/1.4X TC) and through the screen door before they saw me inside and flew off.
I can't recommend this lens combo at this distance, and using a Screen Door Filter, but at least I was there and could witness a wonderful Nature moment...
CedarWaxwings12Nov2020_079A by Marshall Smith, on Flickr
CedarWaxwings12Nov2020_071A by Marshall Smith, on Flickr
CedarWaxwings12Nov2020_063B by Marshall Smith, on Flickr
After the water action was over I was able to get the door open and get a shot of one in a nearby tree off the deck.
CedarWaxwing12Nov2020_106 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr
A poster to our local birder Facebook group found a feather on the ground and asked what bird it came from. It was a Cedar Waxwing wing feather, with that distinctive red highlight on the end, a definitive ID point for a beautiful bird.
Marshall
All our feeders are around the deck off our living room, and we have a homemade bubbling water feature just outside the patio door on the wall at the electrical outlet. And it has a bucket heater in it.
Cedar Waxwings are not normally feeder birds, and while they are seen occasionally in our yard I have never seen one at a feeder. Imagine my surprise when I noticed movement out there and saw that little water bubbler just jammed with them! About a dozen nearby in a flock, and five or six of those took turns at the water at a time. All their regular water sources must have been frozen over.
I was able to get a few shots with the lens I keep on my camera (100-400mm w/1.4X TC) and through the screen door before they saw me inside and flew off.
I can't recommend this lens combo at this distance, and using a Screen Door Filter, but at least I was there and could witness a wonderful Nature moment...
CedarWaxwings12Nov2020_079A by Marshall Smith, on FlickrCedarWaxwings12Nov2020_071A by Marshall Smith, on FlickrCedarWaxwings12Nov2020_063B by Marshall Smith, on FlickrAfter the water action was over I was able to get the door open and get a shot of one in a nearby tree off the deck.
CedarWaxwing12Nov2020_106 by Marshall Smith, on FlickrA poster to our local birder Facebook group found a feather on the ground and asked what bird it came from. It was a Cedar Waxwing wing feather, with that distinctive red highlight on the end, a definitive ID point for a beautiful bird.
Marshall
Nov 15, 2020 20:40:47 #
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