August 28, 2023
I was part of a six hour kayak trip through the Zoar Valley gorge recently. While waiting at the put in I noticed these birds flying back and forth and landing on a branch overhanging the water. They were backlit so at first they didn’t look like anything special. Upon closer examination and much to my delight I realized they were Cedar Waxwings. And there was a bunch of them ! I very rarely see these birds as they don’t normally visit feeders. They’re usually found in open habitats feeding on berries and insects. I had no camera gear with me at the time because I was worried about getting thrown out of my boat, which I did, so I came back the next morning hoping they’d still be around. Such a beautiful bird. It looks as if someone took a paintbrush to the tips of their feathers.
The “wax” tipping their secondary feathers is actually an accumulation of the organic pigment Astaxanthin, a carotenoid that gives red fruits their color. The tips increase in number and size with an individual’s age.
FLYING-FUR PHOTOGRAPHY 