My Bohemian Rhapsody

My office 'wall' is just about 6' tall. Beyond that, I can look out the front window into the Scotch Pine and White Birch trees out front. If I care to talk a stroll out of my office and down the aisle, I can sneak between the windows and the walls that make up the shelving of our offices. From there, I can look over the vaste expanse of the front lawn, rolling down to County Rd and the Maine Turnpike. I can watch airplanes departing and landing at the Portland Jetport. I can look across the Maine Mall area and watch storms brewing in the Saco area. I have to admit, our move to the first floor from the third wasn't so bad after all.

Our offices have windows in them too - the top foot is all glass. Sometimes I feel like a monkey in a zoo - the rest of the time it's ok. I use it to my advantage, because in it's reflection, I can see what's in the trees out front (as well as observe the weather without getting up). I caught a glimpse of a large flock of birds landing in the birches and shrugged them off as Starlings or Red-Winged Black Birds. I kept seeing them though. I finally got up - my curiosity got the better of me. And then - holy crap - those are Waxwings! Bohemians! HOLY CRAP!

That was the largest flock of anything I've ever seen besides Black Birds and House Sparrows. I ran to grab my camera and managed a few shots from behind the glass, then they flew off. In the interim, I managed to make my co-workers believe I am totally insane. "But they were Bohemians!" I kept blabbering.

The next day, they were all watching with me. Sure enough - they came back, landed in the tree and then flew off. I was convinced this was the flock from the Scarborough WalMart area that had hung out all winter. Perhaps they had depleted the supply of fruit from the trees and had ventured north in search of more? It's only a few miles but hey - supply and demand.

Friday they returned, late in the day. They were actually taking turns landing in the fruit trees out front and the flock had almost doubled in size. I grabbed my camera and ran out the front door (with my badge, of course, or the "Badge-Nazi's" wouldn't let me back in). I snuck up on the feeding frenzy, one step at a time, snapping all the way in case I forced them to flee. I got within twenty feet of them and they didn't even care. My heart was pounding. I took a bazillion pictures then ran back in the building, giggling like a school girl. I half figured Security would be waiting for me. They weren't.

Within 10 minutes they had eaten their fill and flew off. There are at least six trees as full as the one photographed below. Hopefully that means another week of viewing the feeding frenzy. The temps have risen dramatically though - I might have just had my last chance.