Tag: Bohemian Waxwings

Saturday Snapshot April 13: Bohemian Waxwings in Flight, Defying Grey

I had the chance to see the elusive Bohemian Waxwings converge in the past weeks. Now they are gone. From afar, they may evoke images from a Hitchcock movie:

Flocks of Bohemian Waxwings

But just a closer look would change your view… Avian Cirque du Soleil, acrobats of the sky:

Avian Cirque du soleil

Or… flight aesthetics, mesmerizing to behold:

Avian Aesthetics

I would have wanted a clear blue sky. But the grey offers a deeper fascination. These energetic Waxwings seem to defy the overcast dreariness, exuding a spirit and an aesthetics that colour cannot bring.

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books.

All photos taken by Arti of Ripple Effects, 2013. All Rights Reserved.
I regret the obtrusive watermarks. I could well have positioned them down in a corner to enhance aesthetics. But practicality took over… hopefully they are deterrents of copying.

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Saturday Snapshot March 23: Bohemian Waxwings

I came looking for them… Bohemian Waxwings, nomadic passerines, and I wasn’t disappointed. From a distance, I could hear their calls even before seeing them, buzzing, chirping, echoing, convivial. Flocks of them, maybe even a couple hundreds.

From a distance, I could see them congregate on tree tops, the sight could not match the sound. If not with intention, one could well dismiss them from afar, those ‘blackbirds’ on the trees, common sight, right?

Flocks of birds

But no. A closer look could tell they’re not ordinary at all. Their pose is elegant. And they’re not blackbirds. Here’s just a small corner of a tree, reminiscence of images on quilts and tapestry:

Image for quilts and tapestry

And a little more up close, one could sense their gregarious and convivial nature:

Convivial

Not until I went home, uploaded and cropped the photos could I see their silky plumage, fine and translucent, their pointed crest, the colourful markings on the wings, the yellow-tipped tails:

Bohemian Waxwings

Waxwing

Because of their nomadic nature, they can be here today, gone tomorrow. No wonder… they’re one of the birds included in the bucket list book: 100 Birds to See Before You Die. 

1 down, 99 to go…

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.