TexasCobra Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 I believe this is the first flock I have sighted this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffclarke Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 I'll agree with Cedars, based strictly on range. If you were further north, I don't think the photos are clear enough to choose between Cedars and Bohemians. You might hit eBird and see if any irruptive Bohemians have been reported in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasCobra Posted December 20, 2018 Author Share Posted December 20, 2018 There are no reports of Bohemian waxwing in Comal County. There are a number of reports of Cedar waxwing in Comal County. We have an abundance of juniper berries for them to feed on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiley Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 Bohemians are a bit larger than Cedars and have red undertail coverts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasCobra Posted December 20, 2018 Author Share Posted December 20, 2018 The undertail area on this blow-up shows more yellow than red. Does this help to eliminate the Bohemian? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiley Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 5 minutes ago, TexasCobra said: The undertail area on this blow-up shows more yellow than red. Does this help to eliminate the Bohemian? Yes. I'm not seeing any Bohemians here. It's extremely unlikely just based on range, but it's always good to check. Crazier things have happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melierax Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 (edited) Your birds have shadows, making the tail itself look darker but the undertail coverts are not dark so yes that's the major ID point here. Also, Bohemians are significantly duller and more brownish than yellow. Keep an eye out for them though and listen for their calls ? Edited December 20, 2018 by Melierax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 45 minutes ago, TexasCobra said: The undertail area on this blow-up shows more yellow than red. Does this help to eliminate the Bohemian? I'm sorry I was unclear, I never intended to imply they were anything other than Cedars. I only wanted to point out that IF the birds had been spotted where the ranges overlap, I didn't think the photo was clear enough for us to distinguish the exact species. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinHood Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 As an aside I came across a small flock, around thirty, of Cedars last week (Ontario). Hidden among them was one Bohemian (a first sighting for me) - this was a lesson I learned recently about always looking closely at flocks for something different. I've attached images of one particularly annoyed Cedar and one of the Bohemian - just for fun, not trying to redirect the thread. Apologies for the intrusion. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasCobra Posted December 20, 2018 Author Share Posted December 20, 2018 Those are some really nice pics, RobinHood! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egosnell2002 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Yes, very nice pics! Ontario is having an irruption of Bohemians currently, which is pretty fun! And back to the OPs photos, we can definitely rule out Bohemian by their appearance. As others have noted, the red under tail coverts would be obvious in this picture, and Bohemians would be much less brightly coloured, despite the setting sun lighting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 9 hours ago, egosnell2002 said: and Bohemians would be much less brightly coloured, despite the setting sun lighting! Yeah, I was probably overestimating the effect of the lighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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