Cedar Waxwings

These early days of June are some of my favorite days.  The temperature is perfect in Wisconsin and there is a lot of wildlife activity to observe in our area.  I have posted some similar cedar waxwing photos on my Facebook page, but I also want to share them with my other readers.

One of my favorite times is when the Cedar Waxwings come in to eat the berries off our Serviceberry tree.  Serviceberry trees attract all kinds of birds.  Besides the cedar waxwings, the orioles and cardinals enjoy the berries. The waxwings love crab apples too, so keep an eye out.  Sometimes these beautiful birds come in large flocks to eat the dried up crab apples.

This Cedar Waxwing found a ripe serviceberry.  Notice the beautiful markings on this bird.

Serviceberries (also called June berries)  look like a blueberry.  Some say they taste a little like them too.  I have never tried them. The birds eat them before they are totally ripe.  I like the tree but it only looks nice for a short time.  The blossoms are pretty in the spring and the berries are nice, but by the middle of summer the leaves start to turn brown and they fall from the tree earlier than most of our trees.  I don't know if the tree does this in other locations.  The one in our yard seems to be very sensitive to heat and moisture, probably because of the sandy soil which doesn't hold moisture.