Category: Cedar Waxwing
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Field Notes from the 2026 Cedar Waxwing Gathering in Isham Park

Dozens of flocks of colorful Cedar Waxwings have arrived in Isham Park in Northern Manhattan for their annual feasting of the Juneberry trees (Amelanchier is the scientific name, or serviceberry). The festive occasion takes place during late May and early June and lasts as long as the bright red berries are consumed. While Cedar Waxwings…
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The Birds for Our New York City Moment

Over the course of several busy and consequential days for New York City— a thrilling Halloween Parade, a photo finish for the NYC Marathon, and the city’s historic mayoral election— thousands of birds flew overhead. Some were late migrants en route to winter homes and springtime in the Southern Hemisphere. Other birds came here to…
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It’s June, so these must be Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings, the birds seemingly from outer space, show up here in June to eat our earthly mulberry trees.
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Early Morning Birdwatching in the Heat of Summer

Birdwatching during the early morning hours is often a favorite time for birders in general, but during a summer heatwave, the earlier the better. The month of July is frequently hot in New York City, but in the past few days the heat has been amplified by high humidity and poor air quality. Still, an…
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Notes from Spring Migration 2024 – Common Yellowthroats at the Masked Ball

I’ll never forget the first time I saw a Common Yellowthroat. It was several years ago in Central Park during spring migration. I was new to birding and learning the ropes from seasoned birders. I was dazzled by the warblers and couldn’t quite keep up with the sightings. We were along The Loch on Central…
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Cedar Waxwings and a House Finch in the Juneberries of Isham Park

If it’s June, go find a Juneberry shrub or tree (or call it serviceberry or Amelanchier, if you prefer) bearing fruit. Cedar Waxwings may be there as well as other birds. They are all after the berries. A fellow birder asked me the other day if I had seen the Cedar Waxwings in Isham Park,…
