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Cedar Waxwings

11 years ago

Hi,

I guess I got so fed up in monitoring my tree swallows I didn't notice that a pair of waxwings had made their nest in one of my lilac trees! I watched them everyday making sure that 2 yellow tips were protruding from the nest and making sure nothing was going wrong. I only observed then from the window as not to disturb them in anyway.

They were there for 2 weeks and the female always was on her nest.

Yesterday however I heard a crash and a bunch if flapping and turned around to see a crow in the tree. I ran out and scared the bugger away and a few minutes later the female returned.

However, this morning the swallows were making a racket so I looked out and a crow was on their nest box so once again I ran out there ready to throw whatever at it but it flew away. The swallow nest was safe and untouched but I noticed that the waxwing wasnt there. I thought maybe she took a break so I just waited for her to return.

Now it's been 3 hours and she still hasn't returned to the nest. Fearing that maybe the crow made away with the eggs I quickly checked the nest but there's still defently eggs in there.

I'm still hopeful that they'll return but do you think they abandoned the nest?

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Comments (3)

MrBlubs
Original Author
11 years ago
It's dusk here now and there's been no sign of the parents all day.

I'll still wait and see what's happening in the morning but the eggs are probably dead now.
joan754
11 years ago
A couple of years ago, I had a pair of waxwings nesting in a tree in my yard. A robin kept approaching the nest. Even though the robin didn't do anything to the eggs, the waxwings ended up abandoning the nest with the eggs in it because, I guess, of the robin coming too close to the nest and disturbing them. Even though robins don't pose a threat, I guess they felt the nest wasn't safe. I think the robin liked the location of the nest. Anyway, they stayed away for quite some time. They eventually returned and dismantled the nest and moved it to another yard. I had provided wool for them to build the nest so they didn't want to leave the wool behind so they relocated. I was sad to see them leave, but the next year they successfully nested and had 5 fledglings that all successfully left the nest.
MrBlubs thanked joan754
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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.
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I just read an article that said Cedar Waxwings love wool and will make a complete nest out of wool. That is exactly what my pair have been doing. I had put the wool out thinking birds will line their nests with it, but in the case of waxwings, they actually construct their nests out of the wool. That is probably why they are ignoring the dog hair. It will be interesting to take a picture of the nest once they are done with it (don't want to disturb them) and see how it is constructed. The wool I offered probably is what made them to decide to nest in my yard as I have never had them nest before. What a stroke of luck that I had decided to offer wool. I had an old quilt that was filled with wool that was worn out so I thought I would use the wool. Good thing I did.
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Those little birds are so adorable. & be on the alert: In spring, they get "drunk" on fermenting berries (I forget what kind of plant), & land on the ground, reeling, easy game for any predator. All they need is a safe haven until they sober up!
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MrBlubs
Original Author
11 years ago
That's really strange, but neat at the same time. I guess it makes sense though do to the crow and the wicked storms we've been having.

I still don't understand why they chose that nest placement though. We have 2 llilac trees side by side and one is very full and thick and the other one is very bare and you could easily see through it and it's also in the wind. And they chose the bare one. Maybe they were new parents or something. Hopefully they make a nest somewhere new

and raise a successful brood either this year or the next. It was fun having them in the yard

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