An up-close encounter

A young bird was 'stranded' on my neighbour's chain-link fence this summer. We thought is was a sparrow until its parents came to feed it; it was a young Cedar Waxwing! We left it to fend for itself. The young Waxwing was strong enough to weather a couple of heavy rainstorms in the four or five days it stayed on the fence. I was able to photograph it, but my camera did not do it justice. It was remarkable to watch its markings develop as each day passed: the eye mask, the yellow tail tip, and its call. The adult birds returned often, watching from a nearby tree and calling to the young one if I ventured close to it to examine it. On the fifth day, the young one hopped along the fence (coached by its parents' calls) and into a pine tree to safety I hope!