January’s cold, icy and snowy weather can be a mixed blessing. Raw conditions, sub-freezing temperatures and the urge to stay indoors can be offset by nature’s bounty.

As I was heading out of the Upper Arlington Library I stumbled upon a flock of cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum). Not exactly the place I would have expected to see a flock of 100 or so, but a pleasant surprise, nonetheless. I didn’t have my camera gear with me at the time, but when I returned about an hour later, as good fortune would have it, they were still at Northam Park feasting on the berry bounty. I was lucky that a few stuck around the following day too. Timing, as always, is everything.