Plantman, you're right, they are just flying through. They follow the food! I only see them occasionally, usually in spring when the maple trees around here are flowering. They seem to find the maple buds to be a delicacy. Other people say they see them when certain berries or fruit are available. The large flocks see are typical of waxwings - they're definitely not loners! The Cornell link below has some good info.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cedar Waxwing

They're around, but they are not very easy to spot. I have never seen more than one CW nest. I've seen tons of robin nests, Kinglets, chipping sparrows, etc., but only the one Waxwing nest (with babies! It was in our side yard!! was that a treat!).

I see them going through in flocks in spring, and flocking together in the fall stripping berries headed south. In between, they're not that easy to spot. I know they're here, but they don't frequent the bird feeders. I'm trying to remedy that situation by planting a lot of berry bushes and trees.

CW's are very social birds that travel in groups. I've seen them devour all the berries on a highbush cranberry as a group. I have seen CW's feed each other and pass berries down the line until one bird swallows the berry. They sound like a soft "swee swee" in the tops of the trees. Easier to hear than to see, it's best to spy on them using binocs.
I see and hear them every day spring summer and fall in my garden and in the woods and sometimes very rarely right in front of a window. CW's are among my favorite birds in WI. VAL

I just heard that high pitched sound Sally mentioned yesterday. They come here in large flocks every year, later than most, and eat every berry that's left. When they perch en masse, most all of the waxwings will face the same direction, a most interesting sight!
Sherry

Well what the heck is wrong with my local bunch? They won't touch my Highbush Cranberries.

I've seen other flocks of birds facing the same direction before, also. Maybe it has to do with wind direction, or where the sun is. Who knows?

Sally

Birds in general tend to stay together. I often see cardinals, juncos, chickadees, goldfinches, etc., hanging around in my backyard or in a group in a wooded area.

That's because with more birds in a group, there's more of them to spot food and to spot danger.

I love waxwings. One year I was lucky enough to have one nest in one of my pine trees. It was close to a cherry tree.....so I think that's why they picked the spot. They seem to also like mountain ash berries. They remind me of a band of gypsies......always going wherever the food is, then moving on. They sound like whistles to me.
One word of warning......I've heard about this, and it's happened to me too. Their berries go through them very quickly......so watch out below! I saw them around here one day, then I noticed my deck had turned purple!!

They love mountain ash berries after a hard frost. Then they get inhebriated and fly into windows and stuff. I used to have to tape newspapers over the windows next to our mountain ash tree. I never see them around in summer, and have only seen a few since I left my old home for this new one. Such beauties!

I have never seen them around here except once many years ago when I spotted a lone bird. Must have gotten losts as they are usually in flocks. Anyway, I am hoping that as my berry plantings for the birds mature that I might be lucky enough to see Cedar Waxwings and Bluebirds passing thru.

Last spring I picked one up in the middle of the road.
Brought it to the office, put it in a cardboard box with water & a fluffy towel, & called On The Wing Again, an avian rescue & rehab group. It seems that CWs occasionally get hold of fermented berries or fruit & become a little tipsy! Toward the end of the day, my little guest was much perkier & flew off perfectly!

A few years ago I saw a whole bunch of them devouring the berries on a pokeweed bush, so now, whenever I see a pokeweed bush in the brush, I have two happy memories, one of my childhood playing in the field and one of cedar waxwings.

Here in Montreal, they are fond of Highbush Cranberry tree too, but I have also found them easily attracted by the berries of junipers (even chinensis) and crabapples in our yard. But Boreal (or is it Northern?) Waxwings are larger and even prettier! The sound of this species is more like a trill than the Cedar's feeble whistle. Some springs (early) we get invasions of both!
But if you really want Waxwings, I'd bet on the junipers (preferably the native varieties). The "cedar" first name that is referred to is actually the "Red cedar" (Juniperus virginiana), if I recall what I have read.

I am wondering how the birds know where to nest near trees and shrubs that will make berries for them when they need them.

We have three big hackberry trees and four native red cedars on our property line, and every spring a huge flock of cedar waxwings invades the hackberries and ignores the cedars. I tried to explain to them that they were cedar waxwings, not hackberry waxwings, but they were all talking at once and didn't hear me! Their favorite hackberry overhangs our back porch and it sounds like hail when they drop the pits onto the roof.

I hope to get lucky this Winter and attract some Cedar Waxwings and Bluebirds passing thru this winter. Surely as my plantings mature, I should be able to draw these birds at least passing thru in the Winter.

I live outside of West Chester...in Chester County, PA.
Last week I had a small flock of them come through here...they landed in my flowering crabapple, then flew up to the roof...then left!...all in a matter of minutes!
Even tho they didn't hang around, it was a first for me, having never seen one before...so, for that, I'm grateful!

Well, no luck again this year as far as seeing Cedar Waxwings in my yard. Unfortunately, there were none :-((

They will come along and strip any of the dogwoods or viburnum berries mid winter or spring. I saw a young one around here in the summer up in a clump of aspen trees. I know they nest around here, but never sure where.

Maybe they will come eat some of my Blueberry or Bramble fruit this summer.

I get them every April/May at the American Holly tree for about a 4-week period .They quietly pick that tree clean to the bone until the berries are gone!
The Mockingbirds have a fit when they arrive and try to gobble up as many berries as possible but they are outnumbered .
Here's one from last month-

Here is a link that might be useful:

About 3 weeks ago, 3 baby Cedar Waxwings fell out of their nest. 1 of them died a couple minutes after the fall, this one, along with another one, landed on our deck, the other landed in the grass. We named the two survivors Thump and Splat. We were amazed that after we handled these birds, that the mom still came back to take care of them. We built them another little nest, and have it filled with a lot of berry branches. They both are still at the house. And mom, is around everyday. They are doing some flying, but keep coming back to us. When we hold them, the mom comes down, and sits on our hands too, in order to feed the babies. I am in awe....

One more thing, even when the mother is not here, she is never far away. We look up, and she is perched in the very top of the tree across the street, keeping an eye on her babies. And, the babies know that all they have to do is call for her, and she is there in a matter of seconds... Still in awe....

Great photo stephenNJ!

MM, What a wonderful experience! As you have seen, the story that birds will abandon babies and nests if they smell humans is an old wive's tale. I have been fortunate to have bluebirds nest in my yard, and they will even tolerate a nest change when it has been extremely necessary. Some species are more wary than others, but most have a very poor sense of smell. I have found most of the songbirds that actually take care of their young (other than cowbirds) are actually very loyal to them. They will risk their own safety (to a point) to insure the babies' survival. Nature does bless them with enough sense to preserve their own life in extreme threats (like wasps) however. After all, baby songbirds have a 1 in 2 chance of making through the first year. It wouldn't make sense for the breeding pair to throw all caution to the wind and give up their own lives. They can always go on and raise another brood afterall.

The only birds that arrive in droves to pick the fruit off shrubs around here seem to be starlings. Not what I had in mind when I started with the Wildlife plantings. I guess we can't pick and choose what arrives!

Still waiting for some Cedar Waxwings!