Keep an eye out for waxwings with orange not yellow tail tips (fwd)

[Jeff Pippen <jspippen@duke.edu>]

Birders,

Yesterday (22 Dec) near our field site in Orange Co., NC, I also saw a 
flock of about 50 waxwings, one or two of which had brilliant orange tail 
tips, rather than the usual yellow.  Very striking!  They all flushed and 
flew off when a Sharp-shinned Hawk made an appearance.

Happy Holidays.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jeff Pippen   	 				 jspippen@duke.edu
Biology Dept. Box 90338				
Duke University, Durham, NC  27708		PH: (919) 660-7278
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 20:05:12 -0500
From: Tom Krakauer <tkrakauer@mindspring.com>
To: Carolinabirds@duke.edu
Subject: Keep an eye out for waxwings with orange not yellow tail tips

This has bee frugivore week at home, and a flock of about 50 robins and the 
same number of cedar waxwings as well as flickers , spasuckers and 
starlings mad short work of a dogwood that had been loaded with berries.

The robins moved on, but the waxwings are sticking around an drinking at 
our "water feature".  Of the 50 waxwings two appear to have red/orange 
tailtips rather that the usual yellow.

We had 2 male Yellow-shafter Flickers engaged in a protracted agressive 
face-off.  They would sit about 1.5 bill lengths apart and not move.  If 
one made the slightest motion they both would engage in a raucous 
side-to-side waving of their heads (one each).  This went on for 20 
minutes.  The nearby female mas not impressed :).

Tom

Tom Krakauer
Bahama, NC
tkrakauer@mindspring.com