Cedar Waxwings
Soon after leaving the White-throated Sparrows, I heard the high, thin calls of Cedar Waxwings, and a small flock of about a dozen flew out of the treetops and away – the first Cedar Waxwings I’ve seen here this season.
All through the neighborhood this morning birds seemed to be more active than usual lately. Ruby-crowned Kinglets called jidit-jidit in low branches and shrubs. Golden-crowned Kinglets called from high up in the pines, and Brown-headed Nuthatches chattered and squeaked. A Pine Warbler trilled a light, musical song. At least two dozen Chipping Sparrows flew up from the grass on the edge of one yard. Bluebirds flashed their colors.
Several Northern Flickers called their sharp kleer calls, and Eastern Phoebes sang and fussed in their chattery way. At least two Northern Mockingbirds were singing. A Hairy Woodpecker called an emphatic peenk! and then a long, rolling rattle. Two Black Vultures and one Turkey Vulture soared.
On the trunk of a pecan tree, a White-breasted Nuthatch crept up and around and down, probing the cracks in the bark, and pausing to crane its white neck up and look around. White-breasted Nuthatches have continued to become more common in our neighborhood over the past couple of years, though I still don’t see or hear them nearly as often as our more familiar Brown-headed Nuthatch.