Nonconformists as birds, showing up for a group of dedicated bird watchers who arrived for Maplewood Flats’ bird count on time was not their style.
The Bohemian Waxwings have no permanent addresses, they hold no territory and opportunistically stay wherever fruits are available.
I was 10 minutes late. I stopped near the bird feeders, and Birder Gordon appeared. Gordon pointed out the 4 birds on a short tree in the nursery. They were dressed for a party, with black eye masks and gray gowns that blended into brown at the upper body, with some gaudy color sprinkles on the wings. They were making short trips from their perch on the tree to the berry bushes.
We were invited for the party, so we stayed for a while and mingled.