Carey

Late in the afternoon, on February 21, a flock of cedar waxwings visited our neighbor's arrowwood viburnum bushes and made short work of their bountiful harvest of berries.  From our kitchen window, I was able to take a few photos as the waxwings were cooperative (somewhat still and came close) and seemed practically drunk with the bounty of berries.  They all started out in a large nearby bare oak tree and in small groups swooped in for a fruit course before heading back and swapping places with their compadres.  At first the closest individuals were wary but after I'd sat still watching for a few minutes, they rapidly returned to their feast.  In spite of their numbers, they seemed relatively quiet.  The entire feeding episode took about 30-45 minutes and although they didn't quite strip the branches bare of the berries, they certainly depleted most of them.  Once they'd all finished eating, they returned group by group to the oak tree, seemed to digest for a few minutes and flew away in one group as the sun set.  However, they came back in smaller numbers over the next two or three days to take care of any remaining tidbits.  I see how cedar waxwings are very effective disperser of the seeds of fruiting plants.