Field Notes — 29 September 2026
Cedar Waxwing holding up a service berry before eating it at Black Lake Meadows
Flock of Cedar Waxwings perched in red alder tree outside our kitchen door, with juvenile at the top
Juvenile Cedar Waxwing and two adults perch in red alder tree outside our kitchen door
Two Cedar Waxwings share a berry at Nisqually
Three Cedar Waxwings eating unripe berries from a red elderberry bush
Cedar Waxwing holding a berry from a serviceberry tree at Black Lake Meadows
Adult carrying ferns for nest building at Nisqually
Cedar Waxwing at Black Lake Meadows perched on serviceberry tree
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Black Lake Meadows · Olympia, WA · spring, summer and fall
Cedar Waxwing holding up a service berry before eating it at Black Lake Meadows
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Beachcrest · South Puget Sound · spring, summer and fall
Flock of Cedar Waxwings perched in red alder tree outside our kitchen door, with juvenile at the top
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Beachcrest · South Puget Sound · spring, summer and fall
Juvenile Cedar Waxwing and two adults perch in red alder tree outside our kitchen door
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Nisqually NWR · South Puget Sound · spring, summer and fall
Two Cedar Waxwings share a berry at Nisqually
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Nisqually NWR · South Puget Sound · Spring, summer and fall
Three Cedar Waxwings eating unripe berries from a red elderberry bush
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Black Lake Meadows · Olympia, WA · Year round
Cedar Waxwing holding a berry from a serviceberry tree at Black Lake Meadows
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Nisqually NWR · South Puget Sound · spring, summer and fall
Adult carrying ferns for nest building at Nisqually
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Black Lake Meadows · Olympia, WA · spring, summer and fall
Cedar Waxwing at Black Lake Meadows perched on serviceberry tree
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Black Lake Meadows · Olympia, WA · spring, summer and fall
An Earful of Cedar Waxwings Outside the Kitchen Door
Locating a flock of Cedar Waxwings from outside the kitchen door by their high-pitched sounds
Last week I heard the high-pitched buzz of Cedar Waxwings from my kitchen window so I stepped outside to check in the forest behind the house. A flock of about twenty waxwings was perched 50 to 60 feet up in a red alder tree that had dropped most of its leaves.
Flocks of Cedar Waxwings are called “earfuls” because of the continuous high-pitched buzzing or whistling sounds they make when flying or when perched. An alternative name for a flock of these birds is a “museum” because they often look like a painting when the beautiful birds are perched together. I was excited to see the flock and I’ll call it an earful because I don’t think the photos I got of them were pretty enough to call a museum. Luckily, our kitchen door is on the second floor of the house so I got a pretty good view of them.
I’ve been photographing Cedar Waxwings since late spring throughout the Olympia area, but most of my best shots have been taken in serviceberry trees at Black Lake Meadows. One thing I like about the shots I got from my backdoor is that a juvenile is perched at the top of the tree. Its nice to know that waxwings are nesting in the area. I’m also attaching a photo of a waxwing at nearby Nisqually NWR collecting ferns for a nest. I often hear Cedar Waxwings from the yard but I don’t usually see them. I’m thinking I should look up more often!
Responses
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