Winter Flocking Fruit Eaters

One of the most enjoyable aspects of birding in the winter is the opportunity to locate a bountiful food source, such as berries and crab apples, and to watch as the flocks of fruit eating birds arrive, in this case robins...

Robins are social birds that tend to flock together in winter.  More eyes makes it easier to locate food and detect predators...

Very often, while observing robins, I have encountered large flocks of cedar waxwings arriving to enjoy the bounty...

Cedar waxwings and robins seem willing to share food sources without animosity...

When these feeding frenzies take place the birds eat so much fruit that it often passed through them without completely digesting.  Don't ask me how I know this...

These photos were taken over the course of several days under various lighting conditions...

I especially like the early morning light and the rim-light effect it can produce...

Another species that can be considered a winter flocking fruit eater is the European starling...

When these raucous interlopers arrive the other birds often depart for more peaceful locales...

Thanks for visiting, be well, and come back soon.