I am always surprised when I post photos of birds online, pretty birds, the cardinals always seem to draw the most likes on Facebook, the most comments. Cardinals have a unique shape, the crown on the top of their heads. Their body is best described as round. They have distinctive black markings. But I think the thing that people love, is the red color. Actually the males are bright red, the females are more brownish, with a red beak. Logically the survival of the females is more important than the survival of the males, the females are better camouflaged into the landscape, the males stand out. Though reading the bird book, the male feeds the chicks, while the female builds and broods the second nesting of the season. Cardinals are very territorial during nesting season, and social the rest of the year.
Funny, until the last year, I never paid much attention to the small birds, the small wonders that are all around us. Not all change, is bad change.
Any interesting birds near you?
Just a marauding flock of wild turkeys. The birds, not the neighbors.
ReplyDeleteTurkeys are funny birds, and tasty
DeleteHow long do you have?
ReplyDeleteBut my latest, to my delight is Bluebirds. They are hard to get pictures of...very fast. When I post blue jays and cardinals....the same...more comments then other bird. I actually enjoy the female cardinals too. Some get brilliant orange in them
I don't think I have one good photo of a blue jay, they are so fast
DeleteOf all the imported pest species in Australia, we don't have cardinals and they would be rather nice to have. I haven't seen too many interesting birds of late but I have seen a couple of pied currawongs, which is a bit unusual. We hear them often enough.
ReplyDeleteCardinals are very territorial during nesting season, they would probably interfere with natives
DeleteOh... you mean you don't have cassowaries flying about and perching on lamp posts? I'm disappointed. 😏
DeleteWe need to explore more. My favorite that we have to drive a half hour to see: flamingoes. In town, egrets, monk parakeets, Eurasian hoopoe (stunning), and more.
ReplyDeleteLots of semi tropical and tropical color there
DeleteMostly Cardinals, and the occasional hawk.
ReplyDeleteI need to learn more about hawks
DeleteMy mother is a devout believer that a cardinal is a representative of a loved one who has passed." She absolutely believes the cardinals that visit her back yard in the spring are the spirit of her deceased husband visiting her. I share no similar beliefs, but it is now hard for me to see a cardinal and not think that somebody probably thinks it's the spirit of a dead person.
ReplyDeleteSassybear
www.idleeyesandadormy.com
I had a grandmother with a lot of that kinds of beliefs
Deleterobins and cardinals and jays and a red-tailed hawk for colorful birdies.
ReplyDeletethen the usual sparrows, wrens, grackles, mourning doves, finches.
sometimes a red-winged blackbird or a baltimore oriole (not the baseball kind) or a yellow junco.
Some of the little birds are very pretty, when I stop and take the time to see them
DeleteMy most recent fun bird encounter was with the robins last year. Robins are not native to Arizona so it was a surprise to find them here. I do see cardinals every now and then but they are pretty rare. My favorite bird to photograph are the wild peach-faced love birds. But, you know what? I think all birds are pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteRobin are migratory, passing through
DeleteWe have a lot of magpies. Very attractive birds, but raucous pains in the ass at 5:00 a.m. when they start fighting in the trees.
ReplyDeleteThere is tree outside my bedroom window, I have been lucky to not have a lot of noise.
DeleteWe have many birds of prey, the owls are my favorite.
ReplyDeleteWe have some cardinals at times.
mostly we have quail which are stupid birds