Attracting Cedar Waxwings (1 Viewer)

KristieNat · Aug 10, 2014

For awhile I've wanted to attract Waxwings to my yard; I think they're so beautiful. I also have some places in my yard that I'm thinking of adding some plants/bushes, so I was thinking of planting something to attract them. Is there any plant that they absolutely love? I know they love berries, but I'm looking for something specific. I've had a large raspberry bush for years but it doesn't seem to work. I'd rather it be a little smaller than a tree, like a large bush type of thing. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there anything else I could use to attract them?

KC Foggin · Aug 10, 2014

Any bush/shrub that produces edible berries for them. I have a native muscadine vine growing all over my yard and they love the berries that this vine produces. Good for wine too

Woodstock rules · Aug 22, 2014

They are such beautiful birds. The first time I saw one it was near a pathway, sitting on my neighbors hedge. I came home and told my husband what I'd seen and we looked it up on the internet and found it was a Waxwing. A few days later as I was walking down the pathway again on my way to work, there was the bird laying on the ground. |=(| I later noticed the neighbors hedge had tiny berries on it. Is it possible that the berries are poison and the bird didn't know not to eat them? This was no where near anything the bird could have flown into and died. (a window etc.)

The school I work at has a large berry tree outside the front doors (not sure what type) and one morning as I walked by it there were at least 30 Cedar Waxwings on it. That was the one and only time I've seen them there and it was quite the sight. |=)|

KristieNat · Aug 23, 2014

KCFoggin said:
Any bush/shrub that produces edible berries for them. I have a native muscadine vine growing all over my yard and they love the berries that this vine produces. Good for wine too

Thanks for the advice/suggestions. I'm going to do some research and see what berry trees are native to my area, and then will definitely look into obtaining one. My goal is to attract Waxwings but even if that doesn't work, I know other species like Robins, Catbirds, etc., also love berries, so I think it'll be very beneficial overall.

Woodstock rules said:
They are such beautiful birds. The first time I saw one it was near a pathway, sitting on my neighbors hedge. I came home and told my husband what I'd seen and we looked it up on the internet and found it was a Waxwing. A few days later as I was walking down the pathway again on my way to work, there was the bird laying on the ground. |=(| I later noticed the neighbors hedge had tiny berries on it. Is it possible that the berries are poison and the bird didn't know not to eat them? This was no where near anything the bird could have flown into and died. (a window etc.)

The school I work at has a large berry tree outside the front doors (not sure what type) and one morning as I walked by it there were at least 30 Cedar Waxwings on it. That was the one and only time I've seen them there and it was quite the sight. |=)|

That sounds awesome. I've never seen one in person, but every time I see pictures of them, I'm blown away by their beauty.

wonderview · Aug 23, 2014

We have a serviceberry tree in our yard and boy do the waxwings love those berries!! They come every year and clean the entire tree of them! When this tree first started producing berries, we used to use them in the same fashion as blueberries. (eaten by the handful straight off the tree, on breakfast cereal, in muffins). Now, after the waxwings have discovered the tree, we rarely get any because they hang around and get them all!! It's a good trade of though, like you say, they are beautiful birds. This serviceberry is not a large tree, ours is only about 5 or 6 meters high, but if you wanted I'm sure you could keep it pruned to a much smaller size.

coal tit · Aug 23, 2014

Yes they are beautiful birds when in flight they look Identical to starlings flying you call them the cedar waxwing
There in the states also known as the bohemian waxwing over here in the uk thou I only hear them called Waxwings when they arrive later in the year If they do arrive for the berry crops from northern europe as we
Don,t always get them every year in derbyshire where I live in the uk, They like hornbeam berries here and
A big favourite of theirs here are cotoneaster berries especially in gardens.

chris butterworth · Aug 23, 2014

Any native Sorbus species, or shrubs that tend to keep their berries late in the year. Cotoneaster berries tend to be a bit dry so birds leave them until all the others have been eaten, which is good for extending the birds stay. As the waxy tips on the wings is concentrated pigment derived from their food all Waxwings will tend to go for the reddest fruit available first.

coal tit said:
...... you call them the cedar waxwing There in the states also known as the bohemian waxwing over here in the uk thou I only hear them called Waxwings ...

Cedar and Bohemian are different species.

coal tit · Aug 24, 2014

cedar and bohemian

chris butterworth said:
Any native Sorbus species, or shrubs that tend to keep their berries late in the year. Cotoneaster berries tend to be a bit dry so birds leave them until all the others have been eaten, which is good for extending the birds stay. As the waxy tips on the wings is concentrated pigment derived from their food all Waxwings will tend to go for the reddest fruit available first.

Cedar and Bohemian are different species.

Well thanks for the update
On these two birds being different species I always thought there was just one
Species of waxwing you learn something every day on here.

Attracting Cedar Waxwings (1 Viewer)

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KristieNat

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KC Foggin

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Woodstock rules

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KristieNat

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wonderview

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coal tit

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chris butterworth

aka The Person Named Above

coal tit

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