Waxwings!

Here's a portion of the flock of waxwings perched in the trees earlier this week.

Suddenly, there they were in the aspen trees on the other side of the garage, clearly visible through the front window and the dining room windows. It was a flock of 50 or so waxwings. And so began the debate: were they cedar waxwings or Bohemian waxwings?

Some quick bird book and internet research later, we agreed they probably were Bohemian waxwings -- the rufous under the tail is what clinched it. In December, the Star Tribune reported that Bohemian waxwings were being sighted in large numbers across northern Minnesota. And the Crane Lake Nature Blog described a sighting of a flock of Bohemian and cedar waxwings together along Superior Street in Duluth in January. That blog also has some really nice photos showing the difference between the two waxwings. For good information about waxwings, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds.

We're just happy these feathered wanderers found their way to sillydoggarden.