Not long ago, I arrived at Yates Mill Park to see what I could find. A cold front had just come in, so sometimes this mean that it’s a good opportunity to see if any new birds had arrived.
Instead of heading straight down to the water at the entrance path, I turned right and took a walk across the field.
I first saw a few of the species when expect to see during the winter time here in North Carolina. Cardinals, Chickadees, Titmice and two Downey woodpeckers.
Then, I heard the delicate warbling of a Hermit Thrush coming from the woods next to the field, so I walked inside to see if I can find it.
As soon as my feet hit the crunchy leaves of the forest floor, the Hermit Thrush song stopped. I stood there for a few minutes in silence watching and listening when something caught my eye.
Right there in front of me, were three Cedar Waxwings eating some berries off of a small tree. It was really cool to see these beautiful birds as they were my first sighting of Waxwings in many years!
Cedar Waxwings travel through N.C. in large numbers throughout the winter and early spring, searching for fruit-bearing trees and shrubs, such as Hackberry, Eastern Red Cedar, Black Cherry, and American Holly. In the summer, these nomadic birds raise their young on insects and fruit in the northern U.S. and Canada.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds