Bombs Away !

This is the first time I have really noticed the cedar waxwings flocking to my neighborhood.  I am not as observant as I had hoped, because I must have certainly missed these in prior years and others have told me they frequent the woods near here.  There were perhaps twenty-five of these birds enjoying the afternoon winter sun near a county park although not making much noise which they are known for.  They could have been missed by me had I not noticed the calling cards.

I was returning to my car from a short day hike and I saw that they had also pooped berry remains all over my car windshield and hood.   Next time I will look before I park.  They are messy birds.

They are more yellow than appears in these amateur photos.  I am guessing that they wear masks so that we cannot identify who was making the mess.  Therefore, it was no surprise when I learned they were members of the Bombycilla family of birds.  They get the waxwing name because they have red waxy deposits at the ends of their secondary feathers. (Click on photo for a closer look if you dare.)