cedar waxwing migration question

[ronbco]

I've had cedar waxwings in my yard for the past couple of years. I generally see them in the spring/early summer and assume they have a nest in a big spruce.

Just noticed them this morning for this season. I think I've seen them a few times in the winter but can't recall.

So I looked at the bar charts in ebird and see some frequency, albeit low, year round, in both Larimer and Boulder county. The frequency on the checklist increases a little in the spring but not much.

So I looked at the abundance animation in ebird. It shows nothing along the front range in winter and then an obvious increase during the spring as they move north and the converse.

I'm confused, is there some small year-round population here? Where do those that recur in my yard in the spring come from and why are they nesting here rather than moving further north to nest?

Ron Bolton

Berthoud, Larimer county