…is the cardinal. I can see why. I have at least two dozen of them at the feeder north of the house this evening. They flit around so much that it’s difficult to get an accurate accounting, but I’m sure there are at least a dozen pairs stopping by for a snack before bedtime.
\nWe have cardinals year round here. At one time we had even more than the 24 I saw tonight. There used to be a thicket around a couple of lakes to the east of us, but a developer razed most of that to put up houses, destroying their habitat. I’m not sure where they are nesting now, but I was glad to see that they stayed near us.<\/p>\n
…is the cardinal. I can see why. I have at least two dozen of them at the feeder north of the house this evening. They flit around so much that it’s difficult to get an accurate accounting, but I’m sure … Continue reading
\nThis site<\/a> has an excellent picture of a cardinal in winter.
\nThis site<\/a> Has a number of excellent shots of cardinals, showing both the female and male coloring. The last photo shows how attentive the male is while they are away from the nest. We never see a female cardinal at the feeder without seeing a male cardinal keeping watch for predators.
\nI’m as taken by the coloring of the female cardinal, as I am with the brilliant red of the male. I don’t know that I could choose my favorite. The taupe colors of the female give her great protective coloration, but she’s not a drab bird by any means. She has the same orange beak that you see on the male, and a streak of rosy red at the tip of her crest, her wings and tail feathers, and the palest blush of color across her breast.
\nWhile there’s clearly a pecking order within the cardinal family, these birds get along well with the others who make their way to my feeders. We’re always happy to see them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"