I moved my fountain to the edge of the covered patio this winter, to free myself from the near-daily task of cleaning out crape myrtle litter during the summer. Another upside is that now I can watch birds at the fountain from my office window.
A few days ago I spotted several cedar waxwings lined up along the rim and dipping down to drink. All that berry hunting is hard work!
I took pictures through my window (glass and screen), so they aren’t crisp. But I was happy to capture the birds’ antics without scaring them off. Cedar waxwings are sleekly beautiful birds with smooth gray feathers, black mask, yellow rump, and flicker of red on their wings.
The water cooler gang turned out to be part of a cedar waxwing convention in the backyard. I looked out the kitchen window and saw fluttering confetti swirling through the air — waxwings by the dozens, a hundred maybe! With my binoculars I could see birds landing on a tree beyond our fence and dipping into a cavity. Aha! That hollow is holding water from a recent drizzle — a natural bird bath.
It’s likely a mosquito incubator in the summer, dang it. But I’m glad to know wildlife like these visiting birds have water sources I hadn’t even known about — and high in a tree, to boot!
Come back any time, my feathered friends.
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