The Cedar Waxwings are a bird that secrete a reddish orange waxy substance, though not all of them have it in these pictures. I read that it has something to do with attracting mates. These pictures are from January 2009. I am posting them because this was the first time I witnessed them in my garden, and today they were in my garden again. Today they were mostly interested in my fountain bowl that was full of fresh water from the recent rains. In these pictures it was the middle of winter, and the fountain bowl was pretty sad looking, though I did keep a heater in it so that the water would not freeze.
I was happy to see them again today.
I titled today's post Waxwings that Work mainly because the thought of the myth of Daedalus and Icarus came into my mind. I read a student version of this myth this school year, and in this myth the wings of wax melt when Icarus ignored his father's advice and flew too close to the sun. Sadly, Icarus's mistake was fatal. There is much more to the myth than what I shared here (you can look it up.)
These pictures are not the best. The birds caught me off guard, and they move very quickly. They seem to be always on the move from branch to branch. Here they are enjoying privet berries. Today the berries are gone, and I did not see them do anything other than enjoy all the fresh water in the fountain.
I will post a co-pilot answer about how they got their name.
movingforwardslowly 