Another set of the Cedar Waxwings eating mulberries.
Port Royal, SC
March 29, 2024
Cedar Waxwings Eating Mulberries, 2
Category Archives: Perching Birds
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
A zippy bird, this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was poking all around the trail-side vegetation.
He took a quick pause out in the open.
Presumably he was hunting for his lunch but I didn’t see him have any success.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 26, 2024
Cedar Waxwings Getting A Drink
On some sort of secret signal this Cedar Waxwing flock descended onto a storm drain cover in the sidewalk that was holding a bit of water.
There was no scuffling or shoving, they just dropped in and a few got a sip.
Some of them stood on the periphery and watched.
A few fluttered in and a few fluttered out.
The yellow tail tip was visible on a few of these birds.
On another signal, off they went. You can see on the cover that couldn’t have been a cup of water all together.
Port Royal, SC
March 29, 2024
Cedar Waxwings Eating Mulberries
I had spotted a half dozen Cedar Waxwings in a nature area, backlit and high above me and really had no hope of getting any photos. Then I took a stroll on a residential street on the edge of the preserve and was nearly divebombed by this crew.
It was a real treat to watch a flock of about 50 Cedar Waxwings zip in and out of a mulberry tree that hung over the road.
The branches were bouncing up and down and every time a car drove by the birds scattered.
Good timing for me, there was a ten minute gap with no cars and the serious eating began.
They hung onto the berries almost like prizes and even worked together to break off bits.
Port Royal, SC
March 29, 2024
Rusty Blackbird at Stream Edge
This Rusty Blackbird blended into the background but as he twisted around poking in the stream his understated color scheme showed off a bit. A nearby maple tree had dropped a few turned leaves for a hint of color in the scene.
ID by Merlin Bird ID app
Bradley, ME
October 1, 2022
Cave Swallows
I recently went on a boat trip that passed under this bridge that was hosting swallow nests.
The Merlin Bird ID By Cornell Lab app identifies them as Cliff Swallows, an uncommon bird in SC.
There wasn’t enough light to really see the colors, these were taken with my short lens, and these little guys were speedy!
The nests were pretty fascinating, too, more of an engineering marvel than the bridge.
Common Grackle, Pond Reflection
A Common Grackle lit by the early morning sun with tree reflections in the water behind him.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Always looking jaunty, this Nuthatch was no exception as he poked and prodded all over this tree looking for snacks.
Not the first bird this tree had hosted.
Rusty Blackbird
A new bird to me, I spotted a pair of Rusty Blackbirds foraging at the edges of a swamp.
After a short pause out in the open this one went back to exploring the mud.
They eat insects or seeds, so about anything in this little pool would be a good snack.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
December 23, 2021
Grackle With a Short Tail
The Merlin Bird ID app says this is likely a Boat-tailed Grackle, despite the short tail.
I saw a couple of them that had odd looking tails on a walk around an old rice field dike and wondered if they were juveniles. Turns out juveniles are brown.
And the yellow eye is variable in both Common and Boat-tailed Grackles.
Whichever it was, this one had climbing on his mind.
