Showing posts with label Bohemian waxwing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bohemian waxwing. Show all posts

Friday, December 16, 2022

Skywatch Friday: An Accidental Capture

Bohemian waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus)
 
We have a large flock of Bohemian waxwings at school (conservation rating: uncommon). We enjoy watching them; they are bright, lively, and raucous. This week we had one day of perfect blue skies, so I sat in the car under them, freezing, and zoomed in close for shots. The shots actually were not any better than on the awful overcast days I shot them … except for one serendipitous capture.

Of all the shots, this one was clear.


From Audubon:
During summer in Alaska and western Canada, scattered Bohemian Waxwings may be seen perching on spruce tops and flying out to catch insects in mid-air. In winter these same birds become sociable nomads, with large flocks wandering the northwest in search of berries. Sometimes they stray as far east as New England, but in most areas their numbers are quite variable from year to year (the name 'Bohemian' reflects their unconventional and seemingly carefree lifestyle). However, in some cities in the prairie provinces of Canada, Bohemians can be found by the thousands every winter, no doubt lured by the plantings of mountain-ash and other fruiting trees.

I'm in northern New England.

By the way: it's a snow day today! Huge snow here!


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Tuesday, December 06, 2022

Bohemian Waxwings

Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

Why do great birds show up on lousy days of rainy, overcast skies? A flock of perhaps 30 of these Bohemian waxwings has been hanging out at school this week. They flock in the huge sugar maple at the top of the parking lot, like 50 feet away and in the top of the 50 ft. tall tree. My bug camera could barely zoom in on them enough. The wind was enough to keep focus poor. The lighting was simply awful. My tripod was at home. But I knew I had to capture them for documentation.

Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

Bohemian waxwings have a conservation rank of S3N in Vermont and G5 globally. Basically that means they are uncommon and may be in danger of extirpation. I don't know what the N means, but it could mean non-breeding. Vermont is not their breeding area. Their uncommon status was all it took to get instant verification at iNaturalist

Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

I have seen them at school one other year, so it was exciting to see them again. I took five minutes from one math class to show photos of the species and to explain the significance of seeing them. I asked the students to help with observations and identification. 

Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

I always use Cornell's All About Birds site for birds. (My father taught physics at Cornell for a bit in the forties.) The Bohemian waxwing page is here. Here is the range map:


Finally some life that is not a prickly porcupine!
Unfortunately, they are also not insects.

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