Bird Identification: A black juvie cardinal?, 3 by cr0ak

cr0ak wrote:
Thanks, nutsaboutnature. I just read it. It really makes much more sense that it's some kind of cowbird.


Here are some more pics that I was able to get this morning (I pruned the vitex so there would be fewer leaves in the way. LOL)

"Dad" looks pretty harried! I've never seen the juvie with a female. I wonder what's happened to her. If it IS a cowbird and (as you mentioned in one of your posts on the other thread) the cowbird babies have run the "adoptive parent" ragged, I wonder if the female cardinal wasn't able to keep up with this one's demands. I can just imagine her saying (in bird-talk), "He's YOUR son - YOU feed him!" LOL

Again, I apologize for the fuzziness of the pics. I'm more used to shooting wildlife that doesn't move as fast - or pics of flora! (Not to mention that I have major nerve damage in my hands which also affects the muscles in my arms and they tend to twitch. Ain't old age great? HA!)

Edited to add:
I just thought of something. The parent(s) show(s) the babies where to find food. That means I'm eventually gonna have an adult cowbird hanging around my feeder now. :/ Maybe it'll find a mate several miles away and won't return. I can only hope!

This message was edited Aug 18, 2012 10:27 AM