Unanimous

After feeding on
fermenting crab apples,
a cluster of Cedar Waxwings
disappears.

Now perched among remnant leaves
of Red Oak in early November,
I hear their thin, whistled calls.

In a unanimous decision,
they all agree
to take sudden flight
in a loose, wavering flock.

I take a quick count:
twenty-eight!  

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 2. Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan

3. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

JUNE with "Father Nature"

Sweet Clover

Wild Geranium

Mute Swans with Cygnets

Sensitive Fern

Wild Iris - Blue Flag

Cedar Waxwing

Cottonwood

 Daisy Fleabane

American Robin

Spiderwort

Grasses

Spotted Sandpiper

Buttercup

White Oak limbs

Forget-me-not

Freshly mowed hay field

Bridal Wreath

Vetch

Honeysuckle

Muskrat

Ox-eye Daisy

Storm approaching

Click on photos to enlarge.

A Few Seconds

A tight cluster
of Cedar Waxwings
spilled suddenly
from the canopy
of tall Red Oaks;
leaves green and glossy
in bright summer sun.

 

 

 

They flew fast
with direction
and purpose,
over the field
scattered with
round bales
of hay.

Then disappeared.

Into the
dense foliage
of Silver Maples
lining the riverbank.

When you first heard
their high-pitched
whistles, did you
                               quickly
                                            look up
                                                         to catch
                                                                      their
                                                                             passing
                                                                                          flight? 

Did this little
squadron of joy
quicken those
few seconds
of your day?

© 2013 Richard Havenga



Photo Locations:

1. & 2. Pickerel Lake Park - Fred Meijer Nature Preserve,  (Pickerel)  Kent County,  Michigan

3. White Cloud,  Michigan

4. & 5.  Grand River, (Grand)  Lowell, (Lowell)  Michigan  (Michigan)

Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum