Bird Watching: Northern Cardinal Festival, 1 by 2dCousinDave

2dCousinDave wrote:
Hi Al

In the snow and some other such situations, where they are nearly desperate for food or water, or think they are, or when they are scrounging for food for their nestlings, they will take chances and come pretty close, as long as you don't move. In those "desperate" situations I have seen them stand and fight for a place at the feeder but ordinarily, they are skiddish and very easily spooked.

The two in the snow I was about 10 to 12 feet. The one with the dark background, a little closer. I was focused on a titmouse and the cardinal flew in, not seeing me. I got off half a dozen decent shots of him before he flew.

The two on the shepherd's hook were taken at my mother-in-law's, who's at a retirement facility in Baltimore. She likes birds so I keep a big seed feeder full for her. She gets mostly house sparrows and it pains me to feed them but she's elderly and it's her place and I try to rationalize my actions with the fact that Baltimore is already overrun with HOSP and anyway, it is 107 miles away from my bluebirds. She has five or six pairs of cardinals and a couple pair of titmice and chickadees that come on a regular basis when it isn't too crowded. I also put out suet cakes and she gets downys and red-bellies too.

I just realized I hadn't included a female. Here's one.

Dave