Waxwings

Bohemian Waxwing

Bombycilla garrulous
The traffic in Greece at Kevin Griffith’s feeders was pretty routine: the usual House Finches, Mourning Doves and American Tree Sparrows “along with a smattering of House Sparrows.” But he kept glancing out the window – just in case. “On one such glance a bird in the multiflora rose hedge caught my eye. A single waxwing was gleaning hips from the bush. It instantly gave itself away with its large body of gray and (its) reddish undertail coverts. It was undoubtedly a Bohemian Waxwing.” “Of interest to me was the fact that it was all by itself. I can’t recall the last time I saw a solitary waxwing, let along a Bohemian.” (LG, March 1986)  Indeed, beginning birders are told again and again that one of the rewards of “looking at every bird” in a huge winter flock of Cedar Waxwings is finding one or two Bohemians mixed in.
Background
Like its close relative, the Cedar Waxwing, much of this species’ behavior and movements reflect the shifting, scattered supply of the fruit crops it relies on. It nests late in the season in open boreal forests to coincide with the ripening of new berries. It does not establish territories, perhaps because fruit, once located, can be abundant. Hence, it does not have a true “song.” However, it will also feed heavily on insects in summer. This species ranges from Hudson Bay west into Alaska and western Canada, and from northern Scandinavia east across northern Russia to Siberia. In North America, birds irregularly irrupt far to the south and east of their breeding range in winter, and have been increasing in occurrence in the northeastern states in recent decades. The basic call, a high, rapid trill, is described as being rougher and lower in pitch than that of Cedar Waxwing. Overall populations in North America appear to be stable or increasing. (BNA 714: 1, 3, 8, 13)
Local history
The sighting of even one of these “larger and slightly more gaudy editions” of Cedar Waxwing “is enough to trigger an immediate mass turnout of the available members of the bird watching fraternity in this part of the country,” John Brown noted in March 1969. “These sleek vagrants from the far north are only rarely seen in this part of the state and never in large numbers.” (BA, 27 March 1969)Eaton (1910) listed this as a rare winter visitor in Monroe County, meaning only a few had been recorded, and gave no indication of occurrence in Livingston or Wayne. (Eaton I: county charts) According to Edson, our first record occurred when a flock that eventually grew to 65 birds showed up in Highland Park and was observed on 18 days from 28 February to 26 March 1920. Before that, any records were considered “impossible and the result of confusion,” he reported. (WBR, 5 December 1960; 27 November 1961) Next, a single bird was reported on nine days from 10 January to 14 March 1922. Then came a gap of seven years before another single bird appeared. (“Talkative Bohemian Waxwing from Northwest Visiting Here,” D&C, 6 January 1930)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, acknowledged the rarity of its appearances but, interestingly, indicated average counts of one to 35 birds, in addition to the 65 noted above.Beginning in 1929 these birds appeared in the orchard in Durand-Eastman Park, and were reported twelve times by 1960, “but mostly one to three birds,” Edson noted. (WBR, 8 December 1958, 5 December 1960)One on 6 December 1953 (Van Beurden, McKinney) at Durand Eastman was the “first in several years.” (GOS, November/December 1953)Indeed, when Leo Tanghe examined 1,665 outings by the society’s members from 1951-1954, he could find only three sightings within a 50-mile radius of Rochester, all single birds in December. (GOS 5:69: 5A-5B)Three at Durand-Eastman Park in November 1957 (Starling) were the first after a three-year absence. (GOS, January/February 1958) A flock of 11 on 23 March 1969 (Kemnitzer, Moons, S. Taylor) at Irondequoit was a “very high count locally.” (KB 19:104)There were annual sightings from 1957 through 1965, then a more sporadic occurrence, with occasional two- to three-year stretches with no sightings, until 1977. Since then, there has been at least one sighting every year but one.Bull (1974) considered this “one of the very rarest of winter visitors to New York State and the observer may consider himself extremely fortunate to see even one in these parts.” (Bull, p. 447) Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as an irregular, rare to fairly common winter visitant.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a casual very rare winter visitant.
Occurrence   Now recorded yearly in our region, but very scarce some years with only one or two birds being seen. The crabapple orchard at Durand-Eastman Park has been a very good place to find these visitors. Particularly good influxes occurred during the winters of 1977-78, 1983-84, 1985-86 and fall 1995.  These birds are very rarely seen before November and after March. The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of dates from 7 November to 23 March. Subsequently, one on 22 September 2001 (D. Tetlow, R. Spahn) at Hamlin Beach was record early. (KB 52:60) One on 24 April 1965 (Starling et al) at Durand Eastman Park appears to be record late. (KB 15: 166, but note that AL lists record late date as 23 March) Quite out of season was one reported 5 July 1991 near Retsof. (GOS, September 1991) NYSARC received but did not act on this report, according to Fox, who expressed doubts about this sighting. (Fox, p. 79)
Maxima:    15 on 4 November 1995 (R. and S. Spahn) Hamlin. (GOS, January 1996)   42 on 9 November 1993 (Davids) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, December 1993)   18 on 13 November 1977 (Genesee Ornithological Society hike) Durand Eastman Park. (KB 28:41)   35, 21 on 17 November 1985 at Sodus Bay (T. Tetlow et al) and at Parma (Bouton, J. Skelly). (LG, December 1985)   45 on 18 November 1995 (Griffith) at Hamlin. (GOS, January 1996)   30 on 12 December 1983 (Listman) at Greece. (LG, January 1984)   22 on 13 December 1995 (Marcotte) N. Hamlin Road. (GOS, February 1996)   17 on 20 December 1983 (R. and C. Ladwig) at Hamlin. (LG, January 1984)   65 during February into March 1920 in Highland Park.

Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum
When John Brown was a young boy he climbed into the top of a cherry tree to eat the ripening fruit. “One of these sleek, dapper birds flew and lit less than three feet from my head. It was a thing of wonder, peaked cap, black mask, white moustache, red and white wing spots, yellow tail band and a high, shrill whisper of a voice. We found its name in Chapman’s What Bird Is That?” (BA, 26 June 1974)Edson considered waxwings to be the “most gentle, genteel and beautiful of our birds.” (WBR, 22 February 1943) They are common year-round residents and migrants, nesting in parks and residential areas as well as outlying rural districts. They do so later in the summer than any other songbirds except American Goldfinch.An example of “extraordinary parental perseverance” by a Cedar Waxwing was reported by Donna Krueger of East Rochester and passed along by Brown in September 1978. When Mrs. Krueger found two young waxwings in her yard that were unable to fly, she took them inside to protect them from the neighborhood cats and fed them berries from an ornamental tree in her yard. A day or two later she placed them on a window sill in a wire cage. “Their hunger cries attracted an adult, presumably a parent, which tried to get in the window,” Brown reported. When Mrs. Krueger then took the cage outside, the older bird “flew onto the cage and tried to feed them through the wire. They were taken out and the parent fed them while Mrs. Krueger chased away the cats. In a short time the adult was taking berries out of Mrs. Krueger’s hand and feeding them to the young.”Six days after she found them, the young were able to fly off with the adult. (BA, 13 September 1978)
Background
Much of this species’ behavior – its flocking, its unpredictable, nomadic movements, its low rate of return to former breeding sites, its late-summer breeding – reflects its dependence on patchily distributed fruit crops as a key component of its diet. It breeds across the entire continent from southern Canada through the northern half of the U.S. Populations have increased during the last 30 years, perhaps because of increased planting of ornamental fruit trees and shrubs in rural and urban areas, and creation of edge habitat in areas where abandoned farmland has progressed to woodland. They depart the northern part of their range in winter, but elsewhere migration is difficult to distinguish from winter wanderings of resident birds. Famed passing of fruit from one bird to another is part of courtship; “food passing between more than two birds has been anecdotally reported, but has not been documented convincingly.” (BNA 309: 1- 3, 11)
Local History
Eaton (1910) listed this as an abundant summer resident in Livingston County, common in Monroe and Wayne, occasionally recorded as a year-round resident in Monroe. (Eaton I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of four to 25 birds, with a maximum count of 400, but noted “not seen winter of 1936-1937.” Indeed, Edson fretted in February 1937 that “the cedar waxwings seem to be greatly reduced in numbers in this area…now it is four months since they were last seen.” He worried that the “great abundance” of starlings had caused a shortage of the fruit these birds feed upon. (WBR, 15 February 1937)By the early 1950s, however, local birders had no problem finding this species year round. When Leo Tanghe examined 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-1954, Cedar Waxwings were reported 576 times, with average counts of 30-50 scattered throughout the calendar. Thirty-five of the records were in January/first half of February, but the largest concentration of sightings occurred last half of May through September. (KG 5: 69: 5A-5B)In 1953, Tanghe listed this as common breeding species in the Rochester area, specifically mentioning Powder Mill and Seneca parks as nesting locations. (GOS, May/August 1953) In July 1979 “through most of the month Cedar Waxwings appeared to be the overwhelming species, claiming every possible open perch in every habitat, continually darting and re-circling after insect fare,” Chip Perrigo noted, leading him to whimsically wonder whether this species ever actually nests, “or if by some magical event contrary to biological law, the majority of the population undergoes spontaneous generation at the peak of summer warmth.” (LG, August 1979)
Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a fairly common to very common permanent resident and, in some years, a very common to common spring and/or fall transient.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a (presumably regular) common to rare winter visitant and a regular common summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The migratory flight on 22 May 1977 (see maxima below) consisted of waxwings “in tight flocks of 50-100 birds” streaming east along the lakeshore. (LG, June 1977)
Spring maxima: 5,000 on 22 May 1977 (Listman et al) at Braddock Bay. (LG, June 1977) 5,000+, in just three hours on 30 May 1981 (Kemnitzer, S. Taylor) at the west spit of Braddock Bay. (LG, June 1981) 3,000 on 30 May 1994 (Listman) at Point Breeze. (LG, June/July 1994) 5,000 on 1 June 1990 (Listman) at Point Breeze. (LG, July 1990) 4,000 on 3 June 1989 Braddock Bay, all heading west. (BBRR summary, GOS, October 1989)
Breeding status: During the Breeding Bird Atlas projects, evidence of breeding was found in virtually every block of our region.

During the second project, this birder was able to easily “confirm” nesting by a pair of these elegant songbirds in a park along the river gorge in Rochester. They were systematically dismantling an abandoned Yellow Warbler nest, previously located by the same birder, and carrying the material to a nearby tree to add to their own nest.A week later, the female was clearly visible sitting on the nest.An incredible late summer flight of more than 23,000 waxwings was documented by Dave Tetlow at Hamlin Beach SP on 26-27 August 2006, including 15,820 on the first day.The birds were flying eastbound along the lakeshore directly over parking lot 5 and as far as a quarter mile inland, but primarily along a corridor from the parking lot to the parkway, Tetlow noted.The birds were in groups ranging from about 10 up to as many as 300 at a time, giving their distinctive call notes. There did not appear to be any major weather pattern triggering the flight, Tetlow added, though the birds were flying into a fairly humid, southeast breeze, which is relatively rare for that time of year.
Summer maxima:     15,820 on 26 August 2006 (D. Tetlow) at Hamlin Beach. (LG, October 2006) followed by …       7,860 on 27 August 2006 (D. Tetlow) at Hamlin Beach. (LG, October 2006)       4,500 on 31 August 1993 (Ewald) at Braddock Bay. (GOS, October 1993)
Fall: Mr. and Mrs. Perry Finks of Mayfair Drive, Irondequoit, marveled that large flocks of 50 to 100 waxwings showed up three straight years to feed on the red berries of a large yew tree in their yard. What made the visits all the more interesting was that the birds arrived on Nov. 12 each of the three years. (BA, 13 November 1974) Of the 30 most common species banded in fall at Manitou by Braddock Bay Bird Observatory during 1999-2006, this ranked 27th with 156 birds taken from the nets.
Fall maxima:       800 on 17 November 1983 (F. Dobson) Chimney Bluffs. (GOS, January 1984)     1,000+ on 17 November 2004 (D. Tetlow) along the west lakeshore. (LG, January 2005)    1,000+ on 24 November 1990 (McKinney, P. Spindler) at Durand-Eastman Park. (GOS, January 1991)       500 on 26-27 November 2005 (D. Tetlow, R. Spahn) Gosnell Park. (LG, January 2006)       700 on 28 November 1971 (Doherty) Durand-Eastman Park. (GOS, January 1972)
Winter: Flocks of waxwings, along with American Robins, feed on mountain ash and crabapples, stripping the trees, then move on. Flocks can be quite large.
Winter maxima:       500 on 1 December 1994 (Symonds et al) at Hamlin Beach. (LG, January 1995)       800 on 3 December 1983 (Davids) Durand-Eastman Park. (GOS, February 1984)       600 on 29 December 1980 (Davids) Durand-Eastman Park to Webster Park. (LG, January 1981)       500 all January 1974 (J. and J. Connor) at Durand-Eastman Park. (GOS, March 1974)       500 on 12 January 1975 (J. and J. Connor) at Durand-Eastman Park. (GOS, March 1975)       900 on 21 January 1984 (R. Spahn) Webster. (GOS, March 1984)    1,500 on 22 February 1987 (D. and D. Traver) at Webster. (GOS, April 1987)       600 on 26 February 1955 (Listman) at Rose’s Marsh. (GOS, January/March 1955)

Misc.
Orange rather than yellow tips on the tails of some birds may result from eating Morrow’s Honeysuckle fruit during feather formation. The fruit contains rhodoxanthin, a red carotenoid pigment. (BNA 309: 22) Mrs. Helen Amico of Winton Road found an apparently tame waxwing in her yard in March 1962. “When picked up it would ride around on her hand, making no effort to escape,” John Brown reported. “We suggested it might be intoxicated. These sleek birds are gluttonous when they find a good berry supply, and at this time of year the remaining fruit is often fermented. Thus, their gluttony can be fatal when they drop to the ground, temporarily unable to fly, and become easy prey for cats and other predators.” (BA, 22 March 1962)Round Pond presented a tranquil scene on 29 July 1989. Several Cedar Waxwings flew out from tree perches at the edge of the pond to snatch insects in midair, “looking somehow unpracticed at it as if they were not meant to be flycatchers.” (Marcotte diary entry)

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