cedars bluessized

Photo Courtesy of Alison Trombly

I must admit I was a wee bit envious of this photo, for two reasons. One, bird photography is not my forte, although I love to watch birds but catching that perfect photo is not something I've mastered.

And the other reason was that Cedar waxwings are among my favorite birds, and I'm sad that on the other side of town where we live, I've never seen a Cedar waxwing at our birdbath. Bluebirds, yes, but I don't recall a waxwing. I think the reason I love waxwings, is the unexpected spots of color and the unruffled feathers that always look smooth.

My favorite Cedar waxwing story comes from our days in the Houston area before we moved here. We had a tree in the front yard that had tiny red berries on it in the winter. One day, during spring migration, I came in the front door and noticed that several Cedar waxwings were feasting on the berries near the door. That was not unexpected.

However, the next day, only one waxwing was there, and he was absolutely pigging out on the berries. In the warmish weather, the berries had gotten squishy and started to ferment. I walked over to the small tree, within a few feet of the bird. He paid little attention to me, but did lurch to another branch a bit farther away from me. I didn't want to bother the waxwing, so I went inside and looked out the window. I think the bird was quite literally drunk on the berries, because it stayed there for hours, moving unsteadily from branch to branch. The next day it was gone. Do birds have hangovers?

On a more local note, the other day, I was in the kitchen looking out our window, when I saw a big blue bird fly up to the suet feeder and back down to the ground. It didn't try to grab the feeder with its feet, but just kind of stabbed the suet with its beak to grab a bit. I watched as the Steller's Jay, which is also a strikingly beautiful bird, charge up on wing to grab a bit of suet four times, before it flew away. It was never there long enough for me to see if it actually succeeded in getting a bite or two. But the jay was still around this morning. They are infrequent winter visitors to our feeders.

Our plum trees have bloomed and turned to bright tiny green leaves. Will we have fruit this year? The trees waited until March, which was unusual, so unless we have a hard freeze, I'm hoping for a plum crop. Our peach trees has started blooming, but I think half of it is dead, so we may have to plant another. I love my fresh peach jam, cobbler and peaches on my ice cream, when they ripen in the summer.

I hope as the days begin to warm up that you are outdoors enjoying what nature provides.

May your musings bring you beauty!

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.