Eastern Kingbird, Red-Tailed Hawk, Cedar Waxwings

So another walk down the trail, with the dogs and Britt along, gave us some more interesting sightings.


We finally got a good close(r) look at Cedar Waxwings. Usually they are pretty far off in the dead tree behind our house. There were quite a few around in the trees. We were able to get some pics that show their colours. I wish we got more of the around the house. We hope to plant a sour cherry tree in order to help attract more fruit-eating birds. That's another on our to-do list.
They also eat insects and tree buds, so it's not totally out of the relm of possibility that we could see them closer to the house, but it's unlikely. I think these and the Bohemian Waxwings are vey beautiful birds.






Britt caught sight of a Red-Tailed Hawk soaring overhead. It was being chased by a smaller bird, which will happen when the hawk gets too close to a nest. It's pretty amazing to see the lengths a bird will go to defend it's young- putting itself at risk by getting in the face of a predator.




We saw and heard a few herons in flight, but didn't get any pictures. They are such beautiful birds. One was making so much noise as it flew by.



On the way back, we saw an Eastern Kingbird. It would perch high up in a tree, fly out and catch some insects and then perch again. Very pretty! When these birds migrate, they can gather in the hundreds, which would be very cool to see. Apparently the Eastern Kingbirds are able to recognize when a cowbird sneaks an egg into their nest and will remove the squatter.