We were visited by a migrating flock of Cedar waxwings this morning. We had a break in our rainstorm long enough for these beautiful birds to take a rest in the tree outside our window.
They were busy soaking in the sunshine and fluffing their wings and feathers.
Can you see the yellow tips to their tails?
Their bellies are a softer yellow and they have lovely crests of feathers on their heads.
But my favorite parts of all are their black masks and beaks. If you click this photo and look at it in the original size on Flickr, you will see the red wing tip on the bird at the far right.
These birds are not discussed in the Handbook of Nature Study, but we read over the section on beaks (Lesson 5) and migration (between Lesson 3 and 4) Then we looked Cedar waxwings up at AllAboutBirds.com and in our field guide.
After looking at the migratory map in the back of our Peterson Field Guide, we realize that these little birds travel all the way back up to Canada to breed. Truly amazing when you think about it for a minute.
What a great gift this morning to have these visitors to observe and enjoy.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
In case you are wondering, I took these photos with my old point and shoot through the window....how about that? I was really happy with how great they turned out. :)
