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Cedar Waxwings sure have strange nesting habits

13 years ago

I have a pair of Cedar Waxwings that have built a nest entirely out of wool in a tree in my yard. They only built in the morning and the rest of the day they were gone. It took them one week to build. Then the female starting laying eggs; so far there are 3 eggs in the nest, but the parents are nowhere to be found. Each morning, she lays an egg and then they disappear for the whole day. Isn't this strange that they would leave their nest unattended for such long periods of time? I'm worried about the eggs because I have grackles in the area and they have been known to eat other bird's eggs. I just can't figure out why waxwings leave their nest unattended for so long. Other birds don't do this, do they? I know robins are around their nest always and the tree swallows I have nesting in the yard never left for long periods of time. Sure seems strange to me.

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Comments (6)

surya55_gw
13 years ago
Hmm that is strange. I guess this is how the cowbirds species survive since the nest is left unattended for so long. Until now, I always wondered why cowbirds are so plentiful when I see a tiny warbler feeding a monster two times its size.
joan754
Original Author
13 years ago
Well, mamma waxwing has finally started incubating her eggs. She started yesterday. Now she is in the nest most of the time, Don't see pappa too much, but I'm sure he's around, bringing her food. Hopefully, this is a successful brood. For two years in a row, I had robins build a nest in that tree. The first year, I believe, a cat got the nest as it was tipped over and dead birds on the ground. The second year, we had a terrible wind and it blew the babies right out of the nest. I think only one survived. Hopefully, the waxwings have good success. This is the first year they have ever built a nest in this tree.
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Mine was the same. I planted it against the garage and trained most of the canes upward. I let the smallest canes do their horizontal thing among the ground cover. Of course 8-foot canes stretching out to grab your ankles isn't always a good thing:~)
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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.
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I have a Flock of Cedar Waxwings!!!
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Comments (8)
Fantastic photos of the bluebirds and waxwings together. That is luck to see them together, let alone get a good photo. We have waxwings here all summer, but so often they are high up in trees, most people don't notice them. They like black cherries, and when i canoe the river i see them flycatching alot. And congrats newyorkrita on your bird garden paying off. Glad the Wentworths were well used, so many people report birds not touching the highbush cranberries. I saw cardinals picking at them once, but i think they were only after the pits inside. I may have to think about planting a Cardinal Candy viburnum. Winterberries - ive never had those last late in the year. I had a robin that would camp out until they were all gone, in December.
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Cedar Waxwing eating apple flower pedals...
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Comments (16)
OH, I see what you mean. This must be more of a tech thing, using the camera to it's limits? They want to see every tip of every feather and give most of the credit to the camera? I just think that pic is a work of art, I think the "soft edges" enhances the beauty of the birds and the flowers. May I print it and hang it? I could send you a few very bad pictures of my little pond, never seem to be able to get the brids that love it so much to pose for me. Wax wings, Indigos, Tanagers, Orioles, Towhees, Cardinals, Gold Finches, Grosbeaks, Dees, Robins, all make a very colorful splash along with all the flowers blooming around it and the goldies IN it..
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surya55_gw
13 years ago
Oh that's great! Hopefully, all goes well with this one. Keep us posted...
brookw_gw
13 years ago
Finally saw our first waxwings this week in our blueberries. To me, the arrival of waxwings in southern Il seems strange. I associate the waxwing as a northern bird. However, they don't arrive here till mid June and stay sometimes two or three months before disappearing. Most birds migrate through here much earlier and stay a month at the most.

We also are enjoying our towhee every single day as he visits the ground surrounding our feeders. I only see one though. We are fortunate to have loads of cardinals; and, yesterday, he spent a good half hour chasing one particular female around. I think the poor lovelorn thing must be getting desperate.

Finally, our summer tanagers are back, and I have been blessed with some real close encounters with them. They like to hang out at our red raspberries and blackberries and have a very unique vocalization.
catherinet
13 years ago
cedar waxwings are such neat birds. I saw this little guy in my drive one morning last year. Such a cute little tail with a yellow tip. His parents were close by, while he was learning to fly.
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
13 years ago
I've never seen a fledgling cedar waxwing, we just get cameo appearances once a year by the adults eating berries. The baby is delightful! The tail and the eyestripe are giveaways.

Claire

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