For the Birds!

I made a bit of stitching progress on "Sunflower Sampler".  The sunflowers use WDW "Schneckley" - it creates at nice mottled effect.

On Tuesday I took a long stroll about the property after our morning showers had ended.  As I was headed back home, some movement in the brush caught my eye. 

I stopped and was thrilled to see a flock of Cedar Waxwings.

A group of about 20 was flitting about munching on berries of the Cascara (Rhamnus purshiana). 

In fall, these birds gather in large groups to eat berries and fill the air with their high, thin, whistles.  My group, however, made not a single sound. 

They were voracious!

In this photo there are four birds - click on it to enlarge.

I love their frowning faces...

...and they have a lovely bright yellow band on the tip of their tail.

Cedar Waxwings are pale brown on the head and chest, fading to a soft gray on the wings. Their belly is pale yellow, and the tail is gray with a bright yellow tip. Their face has a narrow black mask neatly outlined in white. The red waxy tips to the wing feathers are not always easy to see. Cedar Waxwings reside in woodlands of all kinds, and at farms, orchards, and suburban gardens where there are fruiting trees or shrubs.  Cedar Waxwings are social birds that you’re likely to see in flocks year-round. They sit in fruiting trees swallowing berries whole, or pluck them in mid-air with a brief fluttering hover. They also course over water for insects, flying like tubby, slightly clumsy swallows.  I was so pleased to see this small group!