February 13th, 2007
at the window
Yesterday, while talking to my brother on the phone, I noticed one of the Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) at the stick-on seed feeder. Luckily, the camera was handy, so I was able to snap off a few photos before it zoomed away to its favourite tree. Moments later, the female zoomed out of the same tree to perch on the feeder and take her turn at splitting black oil sunflower seeds.
While she was at the window, I got quite a good look at her head. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed just how red her “eyebrows” are (see below). They’re really quite striking!
This seems to be the same pair that have lived in the garden for at least 3 or 4 winters. They always hang around on the ground or in the lower branches of a particular spruce tree located about 40 feet from the window of my studio room. In summer, once they no longer wish to feed on bird seed, I believe they move off to another stand of spruce trees about 300 feet from the house.
February 13th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Sentient flame at your window.
February 13th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
We don’t have cardinals here, so it is great to see these amazing photographs, Bev. What beautiful birds they are. I don’t know why, but I always thought they lived further south. It’s a surprise for me to see them at your place in winter.
February 13th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Cathy – Yes, aren’t they flame-like? They really brighten up the scene in winter.
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robin – I believe we’re pretty close to the northern extent of their range here in Ontario. The map in my 1980 Peterson’s field guide shows them in our region with the note “expanding north and west”. That’s quite interesting because, we rarely saw Cardinals in this area 30 years ago, but they are much more common now. I’ve read that in the local bird column in the paper as well. I’m not sure of the reason — perhaps the increase in the number of people who are feeding birds, although we certainly do see Cardinals in places where there probably aren’t feeders close by.
February 13th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
These pix are real keepers! We have cardinals visiting our feeders. Always a pleasure to see them.
February 14th, 2007 at 2:22 am
I’ve always admired the coloration of female cardinals, preferring it to the male plumage, but I must admit I’d never noticed the eyebrows befre. Far out.
February 14th, 2007 at 3:31 am
We have cardinals here in Dallas year-round. They’re beautiful, but the most spectacular times to see them are during our rare snowfalls. Brilliant red against pure white. It’s quite a sight.
February 14th, 2007 at 5:25 am
Glad you shot ’em with the camera Bev! ;-)
February 14th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Ahh, cardinals. We share those in common, and they are the dearest birds.
I admit I’m really captivated by their western relatives, the extreme southwest pyrrholoxia, but only because they so resemble cardinals and yet are a different but related species.
Those are great pictures, Bev. The eye closeup belies the dinosaurian ancestry to me, but that’s probably my prejudice that dinosaurs didn’t have eyes that give the impression of intelligence, when probably they did.
Titmice, cardinals, chickadees, and nuthatches – our perennial visitors.
February 14th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
pablo – We just seem to have this one pair of cardinals, but I love seeing them at the feeders. We usually have a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks too and they and the cardinals are my favourites.
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Dave – I like the female plumage too — it seems more interesting and also sort of warm and earthy. I’d noticed the reddish crest and undertail and wings, but never the eyebrows. They’re sort of bushy and stick outwards too — not so noticeable in that shot, but very conspicuous in some other of yesterday’s photos.
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John – I think the bright red against the white snow is one of the reasons I love seeing the cardinals in the garden in winter, especially when they’re moving through the snow-covered spruce trees.
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Duncan – I’m so glad the camera was sitting nice and handy. That’s not always the case!
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Wayne – Thanks! It was just luck to be able to get those shots!
I’ve yet to see a Pyrrhuloxia when in the southwest. I have, however, seen Cardinals there – especially around places like the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum, where they were casually hopping around on the earth just a few feet away from us. We theorized that they could so easily “escape” into the cacti, that they felt more at ease than here in the north. Either that, or they just have a more laidback personality down south. (-:
February 14th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Spectacular photographs! You really do know what to do when the opportunity arises.
February 15th, 2007 at 3:57 am
Robert – Thanks! I felt quite lucky to get these shots. The amusing thing is that I shot these one-handed while holding the phone with the other hand and continuing to talk to my brother. (-: