Q: I’ve seen several dead cedar waxwings at the entrance to my office. What do you think is killing them?

A: In spring, waxwings sometimes eat too many over-ripe berries from nandina, hawthorn, and pyracantha. As a fruit-loving bird, they have developed a “storage pouch” in which to keep the berries they can’t immediately swallow. If the berries are left too long, they ferment and make the birds drunk. The disoriented birds accidentally fly into the side of big buildings, leading to their death.