Cedar Waxwings - 02

Though I moved pretty quick to grab my camera, the waxwings were almost finished stripping their preferred youpon of berries. This bush is on the corner of our front thicket and was absolutely loaded with berries the previous day. Other youpons had berries but the waxwings only ate from this tree. When a flock of waxwings decide to hit a bush, they are thick and the action is fast. I could not get very close to them as they were easily spooked. I could not zoom in and focus on single birds so you get a flurry of activity in these photos. The first photo is one of the last taken before the birds left the bush (stripped). It may be my favorite waxwing photo of all time. The number of birds in the shot with berries in their beaks and the center bird mid-toss with tongue extended make the photo. This pluck, toss, eat sequence is typical and this shot is the perfect frame! In the second photo, you see a berry being swallowed by the bird at the bottom with others looking for their next pick. I selected the third photo thinking it was pretty good - until I got to the first photo below. It is still not bad.

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