Cedar waxwings and Service berries...

The Cedar Waxwing happens to be one of my all time favorite birds! The first time I saw one I was just in awe of its sleek colors and unique appearance. It also made me smile as it flitted about, cheerfully chirping with its flock, consuming berries in large quantities. Having learned that they like service berries the best I set out to attract them to my yard.

I started out by planting one lone service berry bush in my bird garden. The following year I picked up another one, figuring two were better than one. But just two bushes... still young... would they be enough to get the tiny birds' attention?

The following year I purchased more... 10 beautiful, four foot high service berry bushes!!! Within a week of planting, my very little, very hungry, soon to be known as "Big White Beastie" chewed them down to six inches!!! Not knowing if they would survive, feeling a bit defeated, I left it in the hands of Mother Nature.

Over the next couple of years the first two bushes grew, blossomed and produced fruit. Curious as to why the birds liked them so much, I decided to taste the berries. Oh My God!!!! They are the sweetest most amazing berries I've ever tasted!!!

I no longer watched as intently for the birds... I was, after all, enjoying the awesome berries... Until...

The wretched little beasts with wings located my berries and stripped the bushes clean within a matter of hours!!!

Finally I get the birds to come to my yard and they eat all my berries!!! Every last one!!!

The 10, munched on, mutilated bushes survived and in the past few years have produced enough berries for me and the Cedar Waxwings..... and the Catbirds and the Mocking birds and the Eastern Blue Birds and the Robins and sometimes the Wrens.... it would seem as though we ALL enjoy the berries!!!

I was afraid I was going to miss them this year as I'll be leaving in two days for a month's time... but Mother Nature has been kind and in the past two days the berries have ripened. I've been eating every dark ripe berry I can pick!!! Breakfast, lunch and dinner... and snacks in between... and every time I walk by the bushes... They are small, so you have to fill the palm of your hand and then pop them all into your mouth at the same time!!!! :)



The branches are heavy with fruit and sweeter than ever.



I'm glad I was able to enjoy some before leaving. Hope to also see my little feathered friends before I go. Even though we now fight to see who will get to the berries first... they are still my all time favorite bird!!!