Running to the window to see from where the high pitched bird songs were coming from, we were more than delighted to see a flock of Cedar Waxwings had descended upon our neighborhood. They were feeding from the buds of our neighbor’s deciduous trees.

The most beautiful thing to see was a male and female pair courting. They were feeding each other, hopping through the branches and passing buds back and forth. I captured a few moments of the Waxwings courting on film and will post Sunday on my “Good News Cape Ann” show.

Cedar Waxwings mostly eat berries and they love a wide variety. Their name is actually derived from one of their favorite fruits, the waxy berries of cedar trees. If you would like to attract Cedar Waxwings  to your garden here is a handy list that I compiled –

Dogwood, Juniper, Chokecherry, Cedar, Honeysuckle, Holy, Crabapple, Hawthorn, Serviceberry, Mulberry, Raspberry, Grapes, and Strawberry. Cedar Waxwings are becoming increasingly more prevalent in backyards because people are planting more ornamental flowering and fruiting trees.

Cedar Waxwings also eat a variety of insects including beetles and dragonflies, which they will pluck mid air.

The flock that visited our garden was of the paler sort. Some Waxwings are feathered in the same pattern, with the striking black mask and soft buffy colored  breast however, with these more brightly hued fellows, their yellow is brilliant and they sport vivid red wing tips.

Cedar Waxwing Range Map