Bohemian Waxwing diet

[DAVID A LEATHERMAN]

The other day I asked COBIRDS participants to please let me know if they had seen Bohemian Waxwings during the current invasion eat anything other than crabapples, Rocky Mountain juniper cones (berries), common buckthorn fruits and Russian-olives.

The response has been wonderful and here are some new things you have added to our understanding of their diet while in Colorado:

*Kathy Mihm-Dunning observed them at fairly high elevation eating kinnikinnick fruits (which in botanical terms are a "berry-like drupes").

*David Suddjian observed a courting pair passing a Siberian elm flower bud back and forth, which almost certainly one of them, likely the female, ate.

*John Garing and Janice Hill sent me pics that show them eating green ash flower buds.  This is something I have seen Cedar Waxwings do and is yet one more instance of the diets of these two species, at least in North America, being almost identical.

*Judd Patterson saw them "make quick work of" old rotten apples both in the tree and on the ground in Fort Collins.

Bohemian Waxwings probably eat fruits of other woody plants like mountain-ash, hawthorn, snowberry, etc., but so far no reports of which I am aware.

Thanks to everybody who shared on this topic.  Lots to learn and what's more fun than that?  The current buzzphrase is "citizen science" which is what used to be called "bird watching".  As Duke's retired basketball Coach K says in a current Aflac commercial, "Who needs championships, when you can watch birds."

Dave Leatherman

Fort Collins

[wmrki...@gmail.com]

At our home in NW Denver (Berkeley Park) we have a dozen blue velvet honeysuckle bushes. This late winter we've observed flocks of robins, cedar waxwings, and Bohemian waxwings feeding on the small dried berries of these plants.

Bill Killam

[Wild Birds Unlimited of Colorado Springs, CO]

We had some mostly on Crabapples, but also in our Serviceberry and Elderberry bushes.

Heather Weber-Langvardt

Wild Birds Unlimited #023

3350 N Union Blvd

Colorado Springs, CO  80907

 

wbucolora...@outlook.com

Store: 719-596-1819

Cell: 719-377-2966

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From: cob...@googlegroups.com <cob...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of wmrki...@gmail.com <wmrki...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2023 8:01:38 AM
To: Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [cobirds] Re: Bohemian Waxwing diet

 

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[Doug Ward]

Dave,

 

Thank you for keeping this thread going as you are right, these “citizen science” feedback loops are fascinating.  I didn’t reply to you previously as I hadn’t noticed the Bohemians in our neighborhood this year feeding on anything but the usual suspects you mentioned, but since you brought up the topic again, thought I’d add to the list of culinary favorites of the birds up in North Idaho.  As you mentioned, certainly they like the fruits of mountain ash, serviceberry, and hackberry up there during their Winter stays.  In addition, have seen them hitting up a couple of different varieties of fruiting viburnums (ie; cranberry bush, snowball bush, …), various domesticated dogwoods and hollies, as well as native elderberries (as Heather just mentioned).  On our warm days, will often see them and Cedars flycatching some form of “no see ’ems”.  I suspect they are taking advantage of the same species down here, just need to catch them in the act.

 

On a side but related note from “back-in-the-day”, introduced my then girlfriend, and now wife of XX years (she refuses to acknowledge how long we’ve been together), to the fairly tame “furry birds” outside of Duane Physics building on the CU-Boulder campus.  The “furry birds” were Bohemians and Pine Grosbeaks who regularly fed together in the row of crabapples outside the front door which made for a soothing respite after a head kicking in class; they both were there two Winters in a row (1983-84).  She wasn’t that interested in birds until she got to see and spend some time with those beautiful “furry birds”.

 

Again Dave, thank you for keeping this rolling.

 

Good Birding,

Doug Ward

Currently Denver

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