Tuesday, March 11, 2014

They're baaack!

Beyond thrilled to walk out into my backyard this weekend and hear the distinctive high-pitched bzeeee call of the bird I look forward to seeing each year! After detecting the call, I looked high up into our neighbor's Chinese tallow tree and there sat my beloved cedar waxwings. I counted 35, then someone playing baseball behind our house hit a foul ball into the backstop fence, effectively clearing out the tree. But they came back and I was able to get some shots.




Our  class had two field trips this weekend. Two early mornings, lost an hour in the process due to the time change, and still lived to tell about it. Hee. A few notables were the meadowlark, pair of eaglets, bald eagle parents, ruddy ducks with distinctive blue bills (blue only during breeding season), American kestrel, and loggerhead shrike. 

The best part of the class? I met two other photographers about my age who are retired and looking for others to go on nature outings with. Yay!! One lady has a 500mm lens! And I'm sad to report that I lusted after it. :)

Sharing with Anni at I'd Rather B' Birdin'.

39 comments:

The Cranky said...

How cool to find photography buddies!
These shots are gorgeous Gail, no wonder you call them 'beloved'.

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh you got some new friends to play with I am so excited you will be having so much fun and I would lust over that lens too:)
Cedar Waxwings are my very favourite. Incredible shots. Hug B

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Great shots! So glad that your favorite bird is back :)

Elizabeth Edwards said...

gorgeous tail - the whole bird is fun, but that tail steals the show. ha. ha!! i will behave ... promise. maybe??!!? ( :

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

These are great captures, Gail. Such detail. I always have trouble shooting these birds, and I've never gotten that good a shot of the yellow tip on the tail. So nice to hear about your new birding friends. And, after your recent working from home, maybe that 500mm lens is in your future. :)

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

500!

No wonder you lusted

(If ONLY she'd turned her back)

Waxwings are SO gorgeous

Hootin Anni said...

...aren't they gorgeous?!!!! I love 'em. And your photos?----always a work of art.

Today, I finally posted a woodpecker I watched...making a cavity in a tree for nesting.

Shug said...

Yea!!! This means Spring is nearby! I'm excited for you... It's a wonderful thing to have friends who share your same interest and I can't wait to see what kind of photography outings you all are able to find. I see great things in your future and I feel blessed to get to benefit from your great talents. Have a marvelous day!!

Indrani said...

Cute Coot! The tail is so different.

TexWisGirl said...

good for you for making connections!

LOVE these waxwings and haven't seen them here the past 2 migration seasons.

Suzan said...

Lovely Birds!! Very Sleek looking! Glad you're meeting others who enjoy getting out and taking pictures of nature!! (I was going to say - getting out and shooting birds! But that sounds terrible!)
YOU know what I mean :-}} Have fun!!

Carletta said...

I've never seen these in person.
Lovely birds and photos!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous birds!

Anonymous said...

Oh Gail, I can so see why you look forward to seeing this bird each year! Stunning! I so need to get that lens! It's on my to do list!

DeniseinVA said...

You took some great pictures of these lovely birds. I have only seen them a few times, once in my back yard which was amazing because I haven't seen them since, and others on a road trip down south.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Meeting new friends with shared interests is always a good thing.

I especially like the second shot. What a cool bird.

Waldameise Andrea said...

Welch interessantes Vögelchen. Das Federkleid ist wunderschön.

Liebe Abendgrüße
Waldameise

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

You are so lucky to have all those cedar waxwings. Seeing them feed each other holly berries in our backyard i (when we had our Oregon home) was one of the first things that turned me into a birder.

Lucky to meet fellow birders ...that alone would make getting up early worth it. Not to mention the class and wonderful birds.

Inspired By June said...

Wow - fantastic, Gail! I can remember the one time a flock of these graced my backyard! I'm hoping to plant some of what they look for this year, so that maybe next year I'll be blessed like you! Great shots - and I'm so glad you're meeting new people to bird with! That is definitely worth getting up for in the morning :)

Ruth Hiebert said...

I love the Waxwings and you got great shots of them.

Maude Lynn said...

These are really gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

I love them so much, I wish we had them around here. We must look to Cardinals and Titmice for crests.

Hootin Anni said...

...of course, I was here earlier, but wanted to stop by and thank you for linking up this week at the Bird D'Pot...AND to thank you for your input on the flowering bush on my Hootin' Anni post today.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

I would love to see a cedar waxwing.
And all the other birds you saw. Nice that you found new friends to go birding with.

Ela said...

Wow ! What a beauty !
Great photos. Greetings :)

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

What a beautiful bird! I'm glad you got to see them. Glad too that you made new connections.

I've been on a bit of a break, so it's good to be back. :-)

eileeninmd said...

One of my favorite birds! They are beautiful! Awesome shots, Gail!

Brian King said...

These are gorgeous! Unfortunately, we don't see them around here. Great detail!

beth said...

i can't wait for mine to show up…they always do, but are never here for very long, so i hope i don't miss them !!!

renae said...

Oh such luck for you! Gorgeous feathered friends and glad they returned after the ball noise scare.

Shows their loyalty.


Great you found some new birders, too. Yay!

Bill said...

Great photos! Can't wait till they're back in this area.

Starla said...

What beautiful little birds!! I love their coloring. It is so "soft" looking with a hint of bold outline!

Barbara said...

These are beautiful shots, Gail! Love them!!!

Wally Jones said...

Once again, you've made me jealous!
The migrating Waxwings don't like our yard. :(

Terrific photographs, Gail! Even if they weren't taken with a 500mm lens (I can't even count that high in mm). (Actually, I have trouble counting that high in $$!)

LC said...

Hooray on the photog bird buddies. Those cedar waxwings are beautiful. But the one time they filled our trees, I learned that they also poop up a storm!

Debbie said...

oh how exciting!! i have only seen them once in my yard and i about wet my pants!!

your images are gorgeous, really special!!

Unknown said...

So awesome my friend.

Hugs~

Helma said...

They are really beautiful birds. Last year I ehb be seen in the Netherlands, 1 but this year, unfortunately, not one. That's why I'm glad I'm on this photo, pictures of yours can still enjoy the waxwing

Kathy said...

So far we've not had cedar waxwings this year, but I'm sure that's because our red-tipped photinia has yet to put on berries - I presume due to the coldness of this past winter (which continues even tonight). We normally have them in February. They can strip our photinia (about 10 feet tall, 20 feet long, and 6 feet deep) in two days. I'm sure they're drunk by the time they leave here!

And to think, I lust after your 400 mm!