Photos and article by Kathryn Mann

This is a Cedar Waxwing on the branch of a cedar tree in January

There is a small grove of Eastern Red Cedars on the trail I walk on several times a week in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. In late January there are usually several dozen Cedar Waxwings feasting on their small cones. Within a week all the Cedar Waxwings are gone and do not reappear in my area until late May when they begin to dine on several Mulberry trees (including a large one in my front yard). Cedar Waxwings love the mulberry fruit which looks like a blackberry, but tastes more like a grapefruit.

As you can see from these photos the Cedar Waxwing is brown on top and has a yellow breast. It has a beautiful small feathered crest on its head and a white-lined black mask over its face which makes me refer to these guys as "bandit" birds. Their wings are a dark gray and are decorated with several red tips and a yellow border at the bottom of its tail.  The under tail is white. They are about 7 inches in length. They are very social creatures and often sit and feed next to several other waxwings. I often see one picking a berry and then passing it down a row of birds so they all get about the same number of berries. They also often clean one another. In my area you will often see a few Baltimore Orioles mixed in with a couple dozen Cedar Waxwings in a Mulberry Tree.

I have been told you might be able to attract Cedar Waxwings to your yard by putting some raisins or finely sliced apples on a raised feeder.

Finally you may recall the children's nursery rhyme Pop Goes the Weasel with the lyrics:

All around the mulberry bush
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey thought 'twas all in fun.
Pop! goes the weasel.
A penny for a spool of thread,
A penny for a needle.
That's the way the money goes.
Pop! goes the weasel.
Up and down the City Road,
In and out of the Eagle,
That's the way the money goes.
Pop! goes the weasel.
Half a pound of tuppenney rice,
Half a pound of treacle,
Mix it up and make it nice,
Pop! goes the weasel.

The fact is there is no mulberry bush; it is a tree, and while it is unlikely you will find a monkey or weasel in one, they are a favorite May hangout for Cedar Waxwings, my "bandit bird".

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