The Waxwings of Montpelier
The Capital City of Vermont is now Waxwing Central. A mixed flock of roughly 450 Bohemian Waxwings and Cedar Waxwings is marauding around Montpelier, feeding on the fruits of ornamental trees. I spent a bit of quality time with them on Sunday, February 12. So did other birders. I’ve mapped recent locations. But the best ways to locate these birds, besides listening for them, might be to look high in hardwood trees. Waxwings often sit high and make periodic sorties to feed on fruit trees below. Update – February 17: Waxwings have suddenly become a bit tougher to find in Montpelier. These flocks do wander. I’ll keep you posted.
View Bohemian Waxwings in Montpelier, Vermont in a larger map
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We had a mixed flock of over 200 waxwings here on Loomis Street in Montpelier, yesterday and saw a much smaller flock of waxwings behind the Red Hen Cafe in Middlesex today around 3.
I saw a Bohemian Waxwing sitting on the side of the road “waiting” for her dead friend who was in the middle of the road. I came back an hour later and she was still there. I also saw a whole tree full of them on the Sweet Road in Waterbury Center this afternoon – they are gorgeous!
Hi! I just saw a flock of these gorgeous birds for the first time tonight. I had not idea what they were but these are them. BEAUTIFUL. They were high in the trees over my deck. A lot of them. This was today around 4:00p.m 2/21/12 in Arlington, Vermont. North of Bennington and south of Manchester!
Thanks, Susan. The easiest way to tell the different is to look for the little black berets and black turtlenecks that the Bohemian Waxwings are wearing. No, seriously, the best mark is under their tails. Bohemian Waxwings have cinnamon under-tail coverts; Cedar Waxwings have creamy yellow feathers there. Bohemian Waxwings are also a bit larger with a thin white band across their folded wing. But under the tail is really the way to pick them out in a flock. I hope you see both species!
We too have had flocks of waxwings feeding off our ornamental crabapple trees, today intermixed with robin. Can you tell me the difference between cedar waxwings and bohemian waxwings? Thank you for you wonderful posts.