Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Female Northern Cardinal

 Female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Although we do have a pair of Northern Cardinals in our yard, they rarely stick around long enough for me to take their photos. Here is a less-shy little lady willing to risk safety for seeds that someone sprinkled on a trail I visit often.  When I say "less shy" I mean I only had to wait for about 15 minutes for her to reappear after I first saw her and she spotted me.

Feeling a little braver

Tree sparrows and juncos appeared first. When she realized I wasn't going to move in any closer, she slowly - very slowly - moved from shrub branch to shrub branch and then finally to the path.  As you can see, she still kept an eye on me.

I am connecting to Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

57 comments:

William Kendall said...

Splendid shots of her.

The Cranky said...

You captured her subtler beauty(as compared to the male) perfectly!

Kerri Farley said...

She is a pretty lady!!! One of my faves!

Ramakrishnan said...

Charming and captivating !

Giga said...

Musiał mieć trochę więcej odwagi, jeśli chciał brzuszek napełnić. Zdjęcia mu zrobiłaś śliczne. Pozdrawiam.
He had to have a little more courage, if he wanted to fill the tummy. He did beautiful pictures. Yours.

Buttons Thoughts said...

She is absolutely beautiful. Hug B

MadSnapper said...

she is a beauty and worth the wait... our cardinals have been singing for 2 hours now...

Jeanne said...

Such lovely shots! I photographed a female this past weekend, and had never really realized the beauty of the female before. Very nice!

Darla said...

Your patience was rewarded with some good photo's. She's a delight.

Darla

Jenn Jilks said...

Aren't they shy?! We have 6 blue jays in the tree. Mr. Cardinal is so shy, I cannot even open the door, many feet away from the feeder. Most of my photos are through the window!
(ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , E ON!

The Furry Gnome said...

Beautiful pictures!

LONDONLULU said...

Shy but sweet, love her spot of red color!

KL said...

Awww...don't you love them...I have many of them visiting our bird-feeder. What a great shot -- absolutely brilliant.

Rose said...

She is so pretty! Wonderful captures!

Maude Lynn said...

Beautiful shots of the lady cardinal!

Michelle said...

Always nice to see the sweet female!

Linda W. said...

Love your first photo! Lovely bird and you captured a cute expression!

TexWisGirl said...

i think the ladies are just as pretty as their bright counterparts. :)

Karen said...

The females have such pretty colouration. You've captured this little lady beautifully!

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Looks like you caught her fluffing up the snow a bit in the second photo. She is just as neat to look at as is her male counterpart.

21 Wits said...

You are a master behind your lens. The first lovely photo, just popped out at me, like I'm here, do you have a treat for me? So beautiful.

Lisa Gordon said...

What a beautiful little girl she is!

Unknown said...

Lovely little bird. Great shot!

Warm greetings
JetteMajken

Gail Dixon said...

These are great portraits! The cardinals in Texas were shy like yours, but the ones in my Louisiana back yard are not as skittish.

Indrani said...

Wow! The cuteness so well captured.

Susan Anderson said...

She is just so appealing!

=)

Jenny said...

Although the male cardinals are more flashy looking, I like the unusual markings of the female more. You got some great photos given how shy cardinals are.

Ruth Hiebert said...

She is a lovely lady and yes,she is watching you carefully.

mick said...

Great photos of a very beautiful bird. I'm glad you had the patience to wait for her.

Stuart said...

We had so many cardinals on our feeders in North Carolina. I really miss them. These are fantastic shots of them !

Lowell said...

A portrait of avian perfection - at least in terms of physical attractiveness. We've got some cardinals that nest in the bushes just off our kitchen window. Great fun to watch.

cieldequimper said...

Oooh she's a real beauty. Probably cold...

RedPat said...

She's a cutie!

Ela said...

She is beautiful I think she looks like a real lady.
Greetings

Gordon said...

The female is just as gorgious in her way as the male, and I love her little crest.
All the best Gordon.

Stephanie said...

She is beautiful! First time I see the female cardinal.

Pamela Gordon said...

She's beautiful and was worth waiting patiently to photograph her.

eileeninmd said...

Beautiful shots of the female Cardinal. They seem to be shy around me, I have to hide from them to take any photos. Enjoy your week!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

i love cardinals. hopped over from the bird link up "Wild Bird Wednesday" ( :

Judy said...

I just love her color. Awesome captures!

Kate said...

She doesn't need showy colors to be considered extraordinarily beautiful . Love these photos; they are excellent! I saw a wonderful painting of a female cardinal in a gallery which I wish I had bought. Your photos would be MARVELOUS paintings and you really should frame them.

Randy said...

What a beauty.

Krishna/കൃഷ്ണ said...

Beautiful bird... and its photos...

thanks

Gemma Wiseman said...

Both photos are so sweet. Love the little crests on these birds.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Oh she is a wee beauty EG, what an excellent capture, well worth the wait :)

Dave said...

Doesn't she look lovely against that snow, very nicely done.

Small City Scenes said...

Super shots. I am glad she felt no threat from you. I wish we had Cardinals out here. MB

Jack said...

Very patient, EG. Cardinals often pay me the compliment of visiting my West Hartford yard.

Halcyon said...

What a cute little lady!

Unknown said...

She's beautiful!

Anonymous said...

I love cardinals -- mr and mrs! We don't have them in the Pacific Northwest, so I was middle-aged before I ever saw them in real. My mom (who was born in Kentucky) always talked about them and how she missed them after she moved to the Northwest. So they are very special to me.

tiptoethruphylsgarden.blogspot.com said...

She is one lovely lady,phyllis

Janice said...

Thanks for sharing your wonderful pictures of this gracious lady.

kayerj said...

she's a pretty little thing, I've never seen a cardinal.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

she ia really special. great shot

Lynette Killam said...

Ooh, I love Cardinals...miss them very much as they don't make their way to B.C. I was pleased to meet your little one...:)

Anonymous said...

Such pretty colors!

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.