cedar waxwings
My 1st up-close encounter with cedar waxwings has been a sad event...
The other day I was indoors when my son ran in from the backyard and told me to come out quickly. There was a cedar waxwing. On our deck. Not flying away. He looked injured because one wing was spread out, the other tucked under. And there was a tiny puddle of fluid. I think it was a he because he was very colorful.
It's one of the worst things to see, an injured bird... They seem so delicate, and I never know what to do.
We stayed away (so as not to frighten it, though I did have an urge to pet its velvety head, to reassure it... but don't worry, I didn't... I'm sure that would have given it faster heart palpitations, which it didn't need at the moment, and wouldn't have been at all reassuring.) I called the animal shelter (I didn't know what else to do) to see if they knew who could help rescue a bird. They said they'd be right over.
Then the bird flew off. Which was a good thing... I think. Though I wasn't fully convinced it was healthy, even if it could fly. Though it was a hopeful sign.
Later that evening my husband said that if the animal shelter people had come, he guessed they would have put it to sleep, instead of saving it. I'm not so sure, but after hearing that, I was even more relieved it had flown away, without us interfering.
The next day my son called me out to the front yard. (Poor kid.) And there was another cedar waxwing, lying in the grass, dead. Perfectly still, and very beautiful.
It looked like a female. No red on the wing. I put on painter's gloves and picked it up. No visible injury. My husband dug a hole in the yard, and we buried it. I couldn't stand to think a cat might get to it if we left it, and I wasn't going to toss it into the garbage.
So... I can't help but wonder what happened to what I assume was a cedar waxwing couple? So sad. I have since learned that they are voracious eaters, and wonder if it was something they ate?
The other day I was indoors when my son ran in from the backyard and told me to come out quickly. There was a cedar waxwing. On our deck. Not flying away. He looked injured because one wing was spread out, the other tucked under. And there was a tiny puddle of fluid. I think it was a he because he was very colorful.
It's one of the worst things to see, an injured bird... They seem so delicate, and I never know what to do.
We stayed away (so as not to frighten it, though I did have an urge to pet its velvety head, to reassure it... but don't worry, I didn't... I'm sure that would have given it faster heart palpitations, which it didn't need at the moment, and wouldn't have been at all reassuring.) I called the animal shelter (I didn't know what else to do) to see if they knew who could help rescue a bird. They said they'd be right over.
Then the bird flew off. Which was a good thing... I think. Though I wasn't fully convinced it was healthy, even if it could fly. Though it was a hopeful sign.
Later that evening my husband said that if the animal shelter people had come, he guessed they would have put it to sleep, instead of saving it. I'm not so sure, but after hearing that, I was even more relieved it had flown away, without us interfering.
The next day my son called me out to the front yard. (Poor kid.) And there was another cedar waxwing, lying in the grass, dead. Perfectly still, and very beautiful.
It looked like a female. No red on the wing. I put on painter's gloves and picked it up. No visible injury. My husband dug a hole in the yard, and we buried it. I couldn't stand to think a cat might get to it if we left it, and I wasn't going to toss it into the garbage.
So... I can't help but wonder what happened to what I assume was a cedar waxwing couple?
So sad. I have since learned that they are voracious eaters, and wonder if it was something they ate?Total Comments 5
Comments
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God Bless You for being so caring and empathetic! I'm sure your son will be a great man someday with a Mom like you!Posted 06-18-2008 at 09:20 AM by Tiki Girl
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Thank you for your kind words Tiki. A few times my son has looked up at me and said, "I'm glad that 1st bird was okay." And I smile back and nod and say I'm glad too. But really, I think it went off to die. I do wonder if anyone has any idea what may have happened to those birds? I also wish I knew how to post a picture of one so everyone could see how pretty they are (though I like all birds, even the ordinary ones) but I haven't figured out how to do that, taking into account copyright and all...Posted 06-18-2008 at 02:10 PM by emeraldsky
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[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/JAcevedo/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/IMG]
Gorgeous birds. Wonder what happened?Posted 06-27-2008 at 12:46 PM by Acevaz
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Oh, thank you for posting that Acevaz! That's the perfect most beautifullest picture! I love it. Just what I wish I could have posted. Thank you.
We saw a happy healthy cedar waxwing couple at the park the other day walking back from swim lessons. So no sick waxwing epidemic going on that I can see... I guess that 1st pair just ran into some bad luck.
I also saw a great blue heron on our way back from Rapid City, SD today. I love those birds... just standing at the edge of a pond.
Thanks again for posting that picture!Posted 06-27-2008 at 06:47 PM by emeraldsky
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Posted 09-21-2009 at 07:21 AM by MILEES_DAD
