Eight cedar waxwing fledglings — all originally from separate nests — made their way into the big wide world last Saturday. The birds each came in for treatment after becoming orphaned, injured, or both. The VINS Wildlife Services staff cared for these songbirds, healed their injuries, raised them, and got them ready for life in the wild.
Watch a video of the waxwings’ release!
Cedar waxwings, though fairly common in Vermont, are always a treat for members of the public to see up close. These clay-colored birds have a bandit-like mask of black feathers across their eyes and an orange or yellow band across the base of their tails. They get their name from the bright orange waxy tips on some of their primary wing feathers.
The fact that we got in eight that we could release together bodes well for these flock birds. You won’t find a waxwing on its own in the wild: these birds of a feather stick together.
VINS intern Sarah MacAteer, pictured below, released these youngsters onsite at VINS. Watch the video! You can hear their telltale trill as they fly from the box. Click on photos for a larger image.
