The Birds

Oh, I was so thrilled the other day when I went out front and discovered about 50 of these absolutely beautiful birds in our tree! They are called Cedar Waxwings and I have wanted to see one for years. This is the bird whose picture in my bird book is, well, magnetic to me. Whenever I open that book, I find myself drawn to the Cedar Waxwing photo. And here they were! Right in my front yard! Stopping for a quick visit on their migration northward. I felt honored. Over the past few years, I have slowly increased my bird seed offerings until this year, with hubby's help, I now have several different types of feeders-all placed right in front of my living room window. All four of us get a real kick out of watching for different birds to appear. We have spent hours this spring just observing and learning about the different birds. We've seen spats, feeding, calling, singing, nesting- even mating! So far this spring we have identified Robins, Mourning Doves (one pair and one interloper), House Finches, House Sparrows, Common Grackles, White-Crowned Sparrows, American Goldfinches, Cedar Waxwings, a Flicker, a Blue Jay, a Ringneck Dove, Starlings and one as-of-yet unidentified bird. A picture of which is right here: Can anyone identify this bird for me? I originally thought it was a goldfinch, but after zooming in on my photo, I no longer think it is. I am really enjoying sharing my love of nature with my two boys. It brings me great joy to see them get excited about seeing the different birds. I hope to instill a total respect and general sense of awe in my children where nature is concerned.