It is hard to take good photos when the light is limited. It was heavily overcast on Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In many of my photos, the sky looked white and the subjects looked like silhouettes. I made a few adjustments to my camera to increase the amount of light hitting the sensor, but the conditions were challenging.
I was excited when I came upon a flock of foraging Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum). Recently I had encountered only a few of these cool-looking birds, but this was the first time this year that I have seen a whole flock of them. Some birds are really territorial, but these waxwings seemed to have no sense of personal space and were almost on top of each other as they reached for the hanging berries.
These photos are a little flat and dull, but I like the way that I was able to capture a sense of this foraging activity. In the final photo, you can even see a bit of the waxy red secretion on the wings of the center bird that gave rise to the “waxwing” portion of the common name of this species.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I love Cedar Waxwings! I know they live around here, but we have only been fortunate to see some (always in the park) a few times in almost 40 years. Thanks for sharing these lovely images.
I love the blurred foggy background. The darker berries allow the birds to share any of the spotlight as red berries would do. I love how you framed the photo. It’s such a pleasing balance of the birds with the branches and berries. Thank you.
Sorry—meant to say the birds do not share the spotlight:)
🙂 No worries, the context suggested what you intended to say. I took a number of photos and in most of them the composition of the birds was not that great. In these images, the birds are relatively evenly spaced and have a variety of interesting poses.
Good for you, Mike!👏 They are wonderful birds!
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Thanks, Mitzy.
SOME of us would be thrilled to get ANY shot of the handsome Waxwings!
Nice, Mike.
Thanks, Wally. I went looking for more Cedar Waxwings yesterday, but it seems like they moved on. I am definitely grateful for every chance I get to see them and, perhaps, get a shot of them
Nice collection of the waxwings, Mike. The zany collection of vines/berries adds to the scene. Your description of their movements without regard to each other’s personal space is spot on.
Thanks, Ellen. Most of the times when I have seen Cedar Waxeings in the past they have been buried in the the vegetation, but I was lucky this time that the vines and berries were more or less hanging in the air, allowing me to set a few shots that showed the individuals.
And they are incredibly busy-zip zip!
They are so lovely! I rarely see them.
Thanks, Molly. I don’t see the Cedar Waxwings very often–I am lucky if I spot them a couple of times a year.
Love these birds! When we got a brief visit from a flock of these (first time I saw one) last winter, I also did my best to capture them in very low light (the cloudy winter days here are just not very bright at all) and it is difficult for sure. Nice job with your shots!
Thanks. I know that gloomy days are not the best, but try to make the best of it in my photos when I can. Sometimes it works, and sometime the images are all blurry and shadowy.