Gathering

Gallery: AvianPosted June 28, 2016100 views6 comments

This waxwing caught my attention last week as I had been frequenting a marsh area at a local wildlife refuge. While parked on the observation platform, this guy kept coming to the bare snags that were within the swamp and harvesting the silk that had been placed overnight by the resident spiders. My only though was there was nesting building going on somewhere close-by.

Cedar Waxwing_Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge, Vermont

D500
500mm f/4
TC-14E III
1/2000s @ f/6.3
ISO 450
- 1/3 EV
Manual Exposure_Auto ISO
HH

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Pramod.Shanbhag on June 28, 2016 at 12:46 PM

Nice pic of Waxwing.BG is great.Pic will benefit from obtrusive lower branch.

Registered on May 17, 2016, 29 Posts, 68 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on June 28, 2016 at 1:09 PM

Great background. Wonderful capture.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on June 29, 2016 at 11:51 AM

Interesting, Chuck. I didn't know they used spider webs. Excellent detail and an interesting pose.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on June 29, 2016 at 3:29 PM

According to Sibley they do. I just did some research not knowing myself, and waxwings will line their cup-shaped nest "with finer materials, such as rootlets, grasses, animal hair, pine needles, spider webs, or moss" 1

1-Reference from 'The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior'

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on June 29, 2016 at 8:17 PM

Nice capture of the waxwing's nesting behavior against a great background, Chuck.

Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on June 29, 2016 at 10:04 PM

Nice pensive pose. Nice background and perch for the waxwing.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments