With This Berry, I Thee Wed

I happened to be in the right place at the right time up at the Derby Hill Hawk Watch in Mexico NY. But it wasn’t during the peak of hawk migration (March & April), but rather it was early June. Leaves were out and berries were ripe for picking and sharing!

I happened to look up into a Serviceberry Tree and lo and behold there was a pair of Cedar Waxwings. They were so engaged with their pair bonding ritual that they didn’t seem to mind some voyeuristic photographer capturing their berry sharing. I had never witnessed this type of behavior before, and it was pretty amazing to see the rapid fire share and swap of a single berry. Back and forth as if they were each saying, “Oh no, I insist. You take this one.”

“With this berry, I thee wed”