Waxwing Eloquent

If ever there was a superhero among birds, it will be the Cedar Waxwing. First of all, look at its mask. This is not your villain-type mask. It is something that can be seen with the likes of the Lone Ranger. Add to that a glorious crest erected majestically when excited – be it from a potential danger or a potential mate. Watch it as it surveys its domain and you can’t help but admire its stance, not unlike Caesar when he proclaimed: Veni, vidi, vici.

Have you ever seen a Cedar Waxwing with a ruffled feather? Neither wind, nor rain, nor a flight through a thicket of leaves would dislodge a waxwings feather from its place. Whether gorging its favorite berry or sipping the freshness of the morning dew, it is always svelte, forever well-groomed. Nothing in the avian world exemplifies “coolness” like the Cedar Waxwing.

Yet despite its superhero-like good looks and really cool attitude, waxwings are never snobs. They always gather in flocks, feeding together, flying together in tight formations while executing breath-taking maneuvers or simply resting on the tree tops.

Needless to say, the Cedar Waxwing is one of my favorite birds. I can not help but wax eloquent whenever I talk about it.

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Pipits, Pelicans and Photographers

Saturday, Nov. 25th, we purposed to do the Orange County Circuit: San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary (SJWS) in Irvine, then to Upper Newport Bay (UNB) in Newport Beach and finally Bolsa Chica (BC) in Huntington Beach.

A Red-throated Pipit (quite uncommon in Southern California) was reportedly seen at SJWS. Right at the parking lot, there were a flock of Cedar Waxwings. Cynthia started firing away as I struggled to set up my gear. To my dismay, my camera won't autofocus. John Afdem, who luckily was nearby (he was there to photograph the Vermillion Flycatchers also reported in the area) suggested I remove my 1.4 extender. I did, and true enough there were some screws loose there (just like the owner). I did not have my screwdriver with me at the time so I just settled with the 500mm lens without an extender. Just as I was ready to shoot, the Cedar Waxwing flew away.

Cynthia and I proceeded to the location where the Pipit was allegedly found, after thanking and bading goodbye to John. There were Pipits galore, but they were all American Pipits which are a lot more common species than the Red-throated.

Having had our fill of Pipits, we then moved on to Upper Newport Bay (UNB). There were a lot of birds there but they were all huddled close together that it is impossible to take any individual shots. We had better luck at the "bridge" across the bay, although Cynthia missed a good shot of the Sora. Here we met a lovely couple who were both also into bird photography; Dan and Michelle Smith. Dan suggested that we visit Bolsa Chica because "the pelicans are there". We assured him that that will be our next stop.

At Bolsa Chica (BC) just as we were gettting off the jeep we could already hear and see the pelicans doing their dive bombing antics. They would fly several feet up and then plunge hard into the waters. Pelicans are huge birds with wing spans up to seven feet and watching them do this routine is quite fascinating! Needless to say, we had a heck of a time photographing them from as close as ten feet away.