Cedar Waxwing

Sharpest:

I cloned out the branch across his face. Turned out pretty good, I thought.

The rest were soft feather detail:


This is an improvement over a previous pic I posted.

I love the look of these birds. The black mask, that puff of hair that sticks up on the back of his head.
I hope to get more/better photos.
There were three of them in the tree, but could only get so close.


google images
npwrc

enature
• "...waxwings tend to nest late in the summer when there is a good supply of berries."
• "These social birds have the amusing habit of passing berries or even apple blossoms from one bird to the next down a long row sitting on a branch, until one bird eats the food."

cornell
(NOTE: Year Round in North Dakota.)
• "...a silky, shiny collection of brown, gray, and lemon-yellow, accented with a subdued crest, rakish black mask, and brilliant-red wax droplets on the wing feathers."
• "The name 'waxwing' comes from the waxy red secretions found on the tips of the secondaries of some birds. The exact function of these tips is not known, but they may help attract mates."
• "Brown-headed Cowbirds that are raised in Cedar Waxwing nests typically don’t survive, in part because the cowbird chicks can’t develop on such a high-fruit diet."
• "Because they eat so much fruit, Cedar Waxwings occasionally become intoxicated or even die when they run across overripe berries that have started to ferment and produce alcohol."