Category Archives: Cedar Waxwing

Photographing Cedar Waxwings Attracted To The Serviceberry

Positioning The Camera

It’s a cold rainy summer morning….so dark I keep thinking I have my sunglasses on. I’ve cranked open the library windows and faced the camera toward the Serviceberry tree. My rig is positioned farther from the windows than usual because if it wasn’t, the 500mm lens would be too close to focus on the nearest berry branches. (NOTE: Minimum focusing distance =  12.4′ or 145.7″). The portable heater is resting on a book to insure that the floor under which it sits does not vibrate the camera. I positioned the lens to capture (as the bird’s background) a multilayered forest of feathery ferns huddling just beyond the Serviceberry tree. The f/9 aperture setting will transform a few of those individual fronds into lush, polished buttery green swirls.

Photo of Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
Silky Back Feathers with
Wing Feather Tips Dipped in Red
ISO400; f/9; 1/250 Second

Photographing Two Cedar Waxwings

Birds constantly forage, even in the wettest and coldest of conditions. The bolder, familiar frugivores in our yard (Jays, Catbirds, Robins, Titmice, Nuthatch, Woodpeckers, Finches, many of them tending to their fledglings) swarm the Serviceberry tree, acrobatically maneuvering to pluck the ripe berries at the ends of the branches.

I can see Cedar Waxwings in the distance. They are cautious, watching me, coming in a little closer and then doubling back for safer grounds. They are better at waiting and watching than I am- and I’m pretty good.

Cedar Waxwings are nomadic birds and thus do not establish territories. This species is highly social and travels in cooperative flocks – moving often from one place to another and settling down for a short time during breeding season to build nests and raise young. The only way I can reliably find and photograph these fruit eating birds is to look for trees and shrubs that bear small fruits- huckleberry, serviceberry, juniper, hawthorn, cedar, honeysuckle and winterberry. Assuming the fruit is ripe, there’s a good chance that Cedar Waxwings will be found voraciously eating the berries until the bushes are bare.

Photo of Cedar Waxwings
Male Feeding Female Cedar Waxwing
The Male Offers the Female a Green Berry.
ISO400; f/9; 1/250 Second

Flash Limitations

The cedar paths beyond the Serviceberry tree are obstructed with thick foliage, so much so that I no longer can see through the woods to the houses beyond. The only trees that aren’t completely fleshed out are the high in the sky Locust trees. The ostrich ferns have unfurled, no longer reaching. It’s very difficult to get a clear line of sight into the understory trees or through the woods beyond. It’s best to be patient, wait and hope that the birds will perch closer to the camera.

The woodlands in the background are darker than the foreground…almost 2 stops darker. I set the camera to spot metering so E-TTL II is better able to read the light and emit the appropriate amount of flash if the bird happens to be farther off. I have the Beam Concentrating Fresnel attached to concentrate the light beam so it can travel greater distances. (NOTE: This is an essential piece of equipment if you want a flash blast that better fits the angle of view of a long lens. However, a flash extender will not be able to project enough light to the smaller distant birds if they are perched more than 25 feet from the camera.)

Berry Eating Birds

If you want to attract and photograph birds into your yard, plant Serviceberry Trees. If that’s not possible, just search out the locations of the wild berry bushes around you and do a little research to determine when the berries will be ripe. You won’t be disappointed.

Photo of Cedar Waxwing

Photographing Cedar Waxwings – Nomadic Birds

Finding Birds to Photograph

It’s not often serendipity that brings me to a good bird shooting location. Understanding bird behavior and knowing where and when you are likely to find certain species of birds are important skills for any photographer. After all, if you are willing to put in the time, effort and expense it takes to go out in the wild to photograph birds, you might as well include a little serious study about the territorial habits of the birds you want to photograph.

Photo of Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing With His Crest Up, Sitting Pretty and Calling Out.
ISO 800; f/8; 1/1000 Second

Territorial Birds

Often, I just watch and wait with my camera on my lap. Once I notice a mated pair of song birds in a location, I don’t necessarily rush to photograph them. I assume that I have found their territory and I have high expectations that if I take my camera to that same location every morning, I will see them again and again and hopefully, photograph them.

Most birds are territorial. During mating season, territorial birds carve out a niche of land and put lots of energy into NOT sharing the resources in that territory, especially if there are many competitors. The male generally chases off all other males of the same species (and sometimes other species) to prevent them from threatening his dominance and progeny. His songs are intended not only as mating calls, but also as threatening messages to competitors. (Keep Out!)

The size of the territory and the length of time it will be protected varies, depending on the species and the environmental conditions. Establishing territories is about reproductive success, consequently bird species may be vigorously territorial in the spring and summer, and then become suddenly tolerant and in favor of flocking with its own kind in the fall and winter months.

Nomadic Birds

Cedar Waxwings are nomadic birds and thus do not establish territories. This species is highly social and travels in cooperative flocks – moving often from one place to another and settling down for a short time during breeding season to build nests and raise young. The only way I can reliably find and photograph these fruit eating birds is to look for trees and shrubs that bear small fruits- huckleberry, serviceberry, juniper, hawthorn, cedar, honeysuckle and winterberry. Assuming the fruit is ripe, there’s a good chance that cedar waxwings will be found in large flocks voraciously eating the berries until the bushes are bare.

Since cedar waxwings do not establish territories, they do not need songs to communicate the “keep out” message to other birds of their species. They do still need calls and whistles to keep track of each other and warn of imminent danger.  The calls and whistles that cedar waxwings emit can be found at this link.

Photographing That Distinctive Face

It’s always a joy to find cedar waxwings because I think that they are one of the most beautiful birds living in SW Michigan. Their distinctive black bandit mask outlined in white is striking against its cinnamon colored head crest. To find and photograph these birds, just search out the location of the wild berry bushes around you and do a little research to determine when the berries will be ripe. You won’t be disappointed.

Photo of Cedar Waxwing
The Mask on the Cedar Waxwing Nicely Complements His Beak and Face. A Very Pretty Bird.
ISO 1000; f/8; 1/1000 Second
Photo of Cedar Waxwing
It was Hard to Get a Clear Shot of This Cedar Waxwing – He Preferred to Nestle in the
Bushes Rather Than Pose for the Camera.
ISO 800; f/8; 1/1000 Second