After looking for and photographing some birds yesterday morning in the Wasatch Mountains I decided to stop my Jeep near a creek in East Canyon to eat an apple I had brought for my breakfast. I’d been so focused on the birds that I had forgotten to eat earlier. I pulled in then parked where I could hear the water and see a part of the creek. There was a stand of hawthorns next to the creek that blocked most of my view of it but I thought that was fine. I just wanted to eat my apple and take a few images of the hawthorns in bloom. I scoped the hawthorn blooms through my lens and was a bit disgruntled because the individual flowers looked to be in pretty bad shape and cursed myself because I thought I’d waited too long to get nice images of the hawthorn blooms.
Now anyone who knows me; or even slightly knows me, is aware that I am always looking for birds even when that isn’t my intention. You could blindfold me and I’d still listen for birds. So as I took a few bites from the first of the apple slices I brought along I heard a sound that I love to hear, the sound of the calls of Cedar Waxwings. I looked around, saw several Cedar Waxwings in the hawthorns next to my Jeep, closed the container that held my apple, and started photographing the birds. I had to take my teleconverter off to even focus on them they were so close.
As I watched and photographed the Cedar Waxwings I realized “why” the hawthorn blossoms had appeared to look a bit damaged… the waxwings had been feasting on them! I took frame after frame of the Cedar Waxwings snatching petals from the hawthorn flowers and consuming them. At one point I was taking photos of a single bird out in the open who wasn’t eating while a bird above it was busy grabbing hawthorns petals where in a few of the frames I caught petals floating past my primary subject.
So why were the Cedar Waxwings eating the hawthorn flower petals? Because they are nutritious! At this time of the year when there are very few fruits or berries left on the trees the waxwings still need to eat and apparently flower blossoms and insects are in their diet at this time of the year.
I believe these hawthorns are River Hawthorns (Crataegus rivularis) because the Utah Wildflowers app I used only shows that hawthorn species in the area, habitat and at the elevation where I photographed the waxwings. I really can’t say for certain.
I took loads of photos of the Cedar Waxwings eating hawthorn petals, preening, perching out in the open and flitting around until I felt like I was beginning to get a headache and only then realized that I hadn’t even finished the first slice of my apple and it was getting late in the morning so I finally put the camera down, ate my apple and simply watched the waxwings in the hawthorns.
Click the first image in the gallery above to start a slideshow of the photos. My camera settings for these images ranged between f7.1 to f9, ISO 500, shutter speeds varied between 1/60 to 1/1600, some were taken without the TC and some were taken with it when the waxwings moved further away from me and my Jeep.
This morning I added flower petals to my facts in information about Cedar Waxwings after having seen the proof with my own eyes.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Cedar Waxwing photos plus facts and information about this species.
I love that, an “earful” of waxwings. When there are literally hundreds of them, their sound is eerie, I start to think of spaceships landing. Their smoothness amazes me. Going to a friend’s cottage and ho0ping to find some there this weekend. These are beautiful shots, especially the perched staring waxwing.
Great images and interesting post. I’ve seen them eating berries when I lived in East Millcreek but not blossoms. Thanks!
Just glorious. Each and every photo (and no doubt moment). Many, many thanks.
Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful! Thank you for enduring hunger so we could share in these delightful birds. My favorite shot is the chin scratch — always interesting to see a part of the bird (plantar surface of foot in this case) that I don’t ever get to see. 😄
Thank you! I planted a Washington Hawthorne because the Arbor Day website said birds like them. It is so tiny. It takes forever to grow. I grows about 1″ per year. I hope it will be worth it as it will bring birds someday. I like that you mentioned hawthorn trees in your post.
Very nice blog today Mia. I really like the group photos and the documentary and you are right…life is good! Thank you.
Thank you! Love your shots and the info you share. Here’s to a good summer full of birds other wildlife!
Love the photos, but even more adding that intriguing new bit of knowledge. I find it fascinating learning about specific things bird species eat, and when they eat them as opposed to just classifying as frugivore, insectivore, etc.
Nice waxwing story this morning. Thank ou. They love our yard and woodland edges too, feasting on honeysuckle, raspberries, blueberries, elderberry, buckthorn Nice to make the Utah connection. I never knew they eat Crataegus flowers too!