Thanks, Starry! I saw the interaction that you are talking about in the fall, but didn't really know what it was all about. I knew they were a family, but I didn't really know what was going on.
I also noticed, like you, that they like to come and feed after dusk. The first time I saw this, I was very surprised. It was so dark I had a hard time even figuring out what kind of bird it was!
When I took this shot, I was grateful to the Cardinal. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime type of shots. I was taking pictures of other birds around me when I heard him in the bush right next to me! I turned around really slowly and he stayed around long enough for me to take the shot. Before that, he was always sitting high in a tree, or otherwise too far away for the reach of my lens.
Bill
Starry
21-Feb-2005 23:03
Nice shot, Bill. You captured the attitude of this male NC -- the thick 'torso', the large eye with the intent and alert look, and that beak and crest.
Our cardinals also like to come to the feeders after dusk when every other bird has packed it in for the day. The feed all during the day, but I think of that half hour after winter sunset as Cardinal Time. Be sure to pay attention to how their fledglings follow them about in August, getting to learn the ropes while all the while there is is short call or 'checking' back and forth between the parents and the young.
