Cedar Waxwing Nesting in Humboldt County, California
Cedar Waxwing Nesting in Humboldt County, California.
On August 3, 1913, my friend, W. W. Moore, came to my home, and told me that a pair of strange birds were getting nesting material in his yard. It was but a short while before I went over there and sure enough there was a pair of Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) one of which was tearing at an old piece of cotton rope, which was tied to a post. After it had enough, both birds flew over a narrow strip of tall alders and down into a gulch heavily covered with young alder, willow and a few myrtle bushes: not a very promising outlook on account of the distance the birds flew before they went over the alders.
The way we found the nest, my friend staid in his yard and I went down into the gulch and when the birds left he would whistle and I would be on watch for their coming so as to get some idea as to where to look for the nest. We had to do this several times before the nest was found, as the birds would go to a different clump of willows each time, and would very soon fly up and go to a patch of myrtles on the bank on the other side of the gulch. The nest when found was about ready for lining, and was left until the 11th of August, when nest and four eggs were taken, incubation indicating a full set.
This is the second set of Waxwing I have taken in this locality, the other having been several years back. I did not keep the date of taking that set.
JOHN M. DAVIS
Eureka, California.
