In my last article I talked about identifying shrubs in winter after the leaves have all dropped off. I focussed on the small group of common shrubs with opposite buds. The rest of the common shrubs have alternate buds and since there are many of them, I cannot cover them all in my column.
Again, ones with fruits still hanging on are a good place to start learning them and during the next few weeks, those fruits will be especially attractive to certain birds who are dependant on them for winter survival, particularly the Bohemian waxwings.
You will probably see the Bohemian waxwings hanging around town in large flocks where they are feeding on the fruits of various ornamental shrubs and small trees. Most of these are ornamental varieties of well-known plants such as mountain ash (or rowans) and various varieties of crabapples.
The accompanying photo is of a Bohemian waxwing feeding on mountain ash berries. I really like this photo because it clearly shows the big difference between Bohemian and cedar waxwings. Notice the rusty or cinnamon-coloured patch underneath the tail (the undertail ‘coverts’) of the Bohemian.
This is distinctive, though sometimes hard to see. In Cedar waxwings the undertail coverts are pale creamy or white colour.
It is fun to watch the waxwings as the berries have often fermented so the birds get rather tipsy and may be seen hanging upside down or crashing into the branches. American robins and even varied thrushes may also be hanging out with the waxwings.
Back to winter twigs – I humbly suggest you might find useful the book Trees and Shrubs in Winter. An Identification Guide for Northern British Columbia, written by me and illustrated with fabulous drawings by local artist Evi Coulson. It is available at local bookstores and the Smithers Art Gallery.
