Male cardinal with crumbs on his beak
I have never been so lucky before to meet a cardinal so willing to pose for me. Yesterday, this male was clearly not terribly afraid of me, though he was keeping his eye on my camera.
Munching on a tasty seed
The reason? My husband and I were visiting a conservation area where some visitors provided yummies for the birds, chipmunks, squirrels, and - yes - even raccoons.
The seeds were in the sun. Isn't it interesting how some of the cardinal's feathers appear to be yellow? The sun was very bright.
Hmmm. Is this seed as tasty and fresh as the last one?
I have never thought of cardinals as bullies, but there were two squawking male red-winged blackbirds waiting in line that didn't enter the seed tray until the cardinal was gone.
OH YUM! Big seeds are the best!
I am linking to World Bird Wednesday.
What a beauty. Glad that he has a protected area and lots of seeds.
ReplyDeleteDarla
These are fantastic and a wonderful series of photos that clearly show the cardinal and his delicious repast!
ReplyDeleteStunning shots!
ReplyDeleteOh, aren't cardinals handsome? You sure got some great pics. When he is done posing for you, would you send him down to me?
ReplyDeleteIncredible captures!! The cardinals here are shy, and tend to stay away from people, so I am jealous that you got to spend so much time with this guy!!
ReplyDeleteI love cardinals but can't get them to my feeder, Great shots.
ReplyDeleteThis guy does look a lot lighter than usual in color. It must have been the strong light. I have heard that cardinals are a pretty dominant bird.
ReplyDeleteHe's a beauty. You're so lucky our guys here are a bit camera shy at times.
ReplyDeleteDon't you just love these Cardinals. I have had an entire family here, and gotten lots of pictures of the babies, but now they have all moved on. Just Mom and Dad still here.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful rest of the week.
Oh, cardinals are definitely bullies. They are the bad guys of the feeder yard. They hang well with chickadees but let somebody else come into their territory and there is war! We had nine cardinals on our feeders late yesterday afternoon after a rain shower.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! We rarely see a cardinal here, or the Ceder Waxwing that you posted yesterday.
ReplyDeleteA smart bird and one that I will get to see one day
ReplyDeleteGorgeous shots! Love how you were nice and close!
ReplyDeletethese are incredibly handsome shots!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots. I like the last one with the big seed in his mouth.
ReplyDeleteWonderful images of a truly beautiful little bird.
ReplyDeleteHe sure was accommodating. It is interesting to see how the sunlight changes the colour of the feathers. Great close-up shots.
ReplyDeleteLovely shots of this colourful species.
ReplyDeleteYou captured his actions and colorful beauty perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad he sat there so nicely for you.
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful, la vie en rouge !
ReplyDeletewow! These are fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThese birds are so pretty. It's always shocking to see them here in the desert - their bright red against all the brown!
ReplyDeleteGreat close ups!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteWhat a personable fellow is he, to allow you to get those great shots!
ReplyDeleteThat sun really changes his coulour! Nice ones.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post. Such a lovely colour!
ReplyDeleteVery nice pics. Bird order or rivalry, hum?? I must be there.
ReplyDeleteI love the Cardinal. Great close ups.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a bird so orange.
ReplyDeleteYou were lucky. If they see my camera they are off. Lovely shots.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos of a beautiful bird.
ReplyDeleteWow, so vividly red they move into another band on the color spectrum! They are beautiful birds, I love seeing them around here.
ReplyDeleteFunny I have Cardinals and Red Wing Black Birds and they all seem to do fine together. I always look forward to the Cardinals though ... I never tire of their beauty and I especially love the coloring of the female. Great shots and I agree it is the light that effects how your camera sees the color, not a change in the actual color. But, it doesn't matter the pictures are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ From The Sol
Wow, a Cardinal sighting, another bird I have never seen up close.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots!
ReplyDeleteWonderful color.
ReplyDeleteGreat close up shots of this handsome fellow.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures, this is one handsome bird.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful picture series you run. Hanne Bente
ReplyDeleteThey sometimes do pose:) Lovely shots!
ReplyDeleteIt is really so brightly colored. I wonder what is its predator in the wild as it is so obvious. However, in butterflies red is a protection from predators, and a mimic tries to get the red to elude the predators. It looks like your bird posed for your camera because you gave seeds.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely stunning!! One of my all time favorite birds.
ReplyDeleteWood Stork
You got some great photos of the cardinal. They're all excellent.
ReplyDeleteI'd say he posed for you! Interesting that this is not at all the shape of the cardinal I know... but what do I know about birds... ha!
ReplyDeleteIt has been said, not by myself, that you are for the birds. I guess it's true. I can't come within 100 feet of these critters. Why is that?
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought most cardinals resided in Rome! I learn something most every day from you.
It has been said, not by myself, that you are for the birds. I guess it's true. I can't come within 100 feet of these critters. Why is that?
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought most cardinals resided in Rome! I learn something most every day from you.
Very nice captures of my state's bird~
ReplyDeleteAwesome shots of the Northern Cardinal CG! Nice of him to pose for you. Isn't it amazing what different light will do to a photo?
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to see some of these birds on one of my few trips to the USA - I really was not prepared for how red they actually are! Very good pictures.
ReplyDeleteI thought I’d let you know that I stepped into the void caused by Springmans decision to close down World Bird Wednesday by setting up Wild Bird Wednesday (!) on my photoblog.
Feel free to visit and link.
Stewart M