So I’m casually strolling through the living room earlier this evening, and I happened to look up at just the right moment in time to catch a brief glimpse of this handsome feathered fellow perched in one of our Pinon trees, just outside the window.

He’s a male Cedar Waxwing, and the first of his kind to “be seen” here this season.  Unfortunately, that branch in the photograph is obscuring some of his most beautiful markings.  These unique birds have vibrant, waxy red tips on their secondary wings, and a brilliant yellow band along the edge of their tail.  Please visit allaboutbirds.org for a much better photo, showing all of his glorious color patterns.

These days at el Rancho, we are seeing so many different and unique species of birds every day.  There are so many photo opportunities that I don’t DARE put my camera away during daylight hours!  Lucky for me, it was ready and waiting for this moment tonight – about two feet away on the kitchen table, suited up with my favorite mega zoom lens.

We are truly blessed by a vast variety of birds and their lovely songs this Spring.  I’m grateful that they are so agreeable to my camera being pointed in their direction!