Eat, drink and be merry (take a bath)

I went out early this morning to try and find the owl that's been seen in the park. Bluejays screaming would be a good guide.

First stop- Tanner Spring just for fun. Nothing. A couple of sparrows, but nothing special.

Next stop- over the road to the bushes with berries. Oh nice, a flock of cedar waxwings gorging. It's not easy to get close to them. They fly off, but this time they flew towards Tanner Spring. Could it be? No. Impossible?

Totally possible. To my surprise and glee and whole flock came to drink and bath, a communal frenzy, first with caution and then en masse . They poured into the water. They stared at me. I tried to be invisible. After bathing they flew right at the lens and my head. A waxwing joke. Another birder came along and could enjoy this scene. It was intense for about ten minutes and then they all flew off. This was a flock of easily 100 birds, adult and immature. I never knew they'd do this, but why not. Tanner Spring changed from blah to exciting and frenzied in a split second.

During the bathing sparrows had nothing to do with the waxwings. A junco was allowed to come into the middle of the scene, but nothing else. When the waxwings left it was to resume berry gorging.

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