Cedar Waxwing, Thief of Hearts

And then the temperatures warmed up and everything began to melt! There was a springlike feeling in the air. The morning called to me. And I answered.

I visited the Arboretum, and the instant I stepped on the path, all I could hear was the sound of birds! There were birds everywhere, all through the trees, especially in the trees loaded with dark crimson berries.

The birds traveled in numbers of 25 or so. And there were several groups of them. More than a hundred birds in all, I think. The largest group of cedar waxwings I have ever seen! And they were accompanied by several robins, the first of those I think I've seen this year.

First, the cedar waxwings met for a lovely breakfast of berries. Then they adjourned to the very top of the Witness Tree, where they turned their saffron-colored tummies to the sun.

In their little black masks, they looked like international birds of mystery. Such charming, well-turned-out birds. They are so pretty, so well defined, that they almost look like fake birds hand painted on silk. (More info about cedar waxwings can be found here.)

Thiefs of hearts, no doubt, I thought to myself. And this picture that I had taken confirms it: the delicious berries in the tree above it had formed a perfect, heart-shaped shadow on this bird's chest. Oh, little bird, thief of hearts . . . you have stolen mine too.

The song: Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty, Stop Draggin' My Heart Around.