I'm hoping the cardinal will visit us more often during the winter.
Monday, November 12, 2018
Northern Cardinal
A couple of days ago we finally saw a bright red Northern Cardinal outside the back window visiting the feeder for the first time. With their bright red colour (for the males), cardinals have been an iconic winter bird to see here in southern Ontario for 2 or 3 decades as their population has expanded.
Cardinals are found throughout the eastern half of the United States, but their Canadian range only extends to southern Ontario and a corner of Quebec. Among bird watchers, it's the bright red males that get the attention. Their strong piercing whistle in the spring is easily recognizable.
They're one of the birds that inhabits urban and settled landscapes, and they also do not migrate, In my experience they like some dense evergreens for shelter like planted pine and spruce trees. With those available (there are plenty around here), you see Northern Cardinals all year round.
I'm hoping the cardinal will visit us more often during the winter.
And down around the corner the roof is now on the house, though I'm afraid the picture is blurred.
I'm hoping the cardinal will visit us more often during the winter.
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I had many cardinal pairs at my old place but here I only have one pair. I have seen the male a couple of times over the summer but when the snow covers the ground I bet they’d both show up for free seed.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful one!
ReplyDeleteNorthern cardinals were my Mom's favorite.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons I have for visiting friends back east is simply to see those bright red Cardinals ... and here those friends of mine thought it was all about them. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy parents have Cardinals in town they are near the river. I have only seen one here one time...a passerby for sure:)
ReplyDeletethe male cardinal is a beautiful standout now that the leaves are off of the trees!! i see them year round and the girls don't get as much attention as they deserve!!
ReplyDeleteWe have the very rare sightings of cardinals in Alberta. They seem to be expanding their territory.
ReplyDeleteohhhh, I love the high-pitched cherp of the cardinal.
ReplyDeleteWe love to hear the cardinals in the cedars along the Rocky Saugeen .
ReplyDeleteLove seeing those cardinals awesome picture.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful bird. And even if blurry, it's good to see that the roof is successfully installed. :-)
ReplyDeletelucky you seeing that male cardinal. We've had a female around the last few days , and usually see the male sitting in a near by tree - but no such luck yet
ReplyDeleteWe love our Cardinals also --and they stay year 'round here too... Such gorgeous birds...
ReplyDeleteThey are getting that house completed quickly aren't they? I still am amazed that they begin with the roof.
Hugs,
Betsy
A beautiful bird. We don't get many colourful birds here around the cabin, and hardly any at all in winter (unless you count our resident pesky ravens). That is such an interesting technique for building. Our friend John builds his cabins by framing the walls on the ground and winching them into place. That was interesting to watch. - Margy
ReplyDeleteThey always look like a child's drawing of a bird, nothing so red and spectacular could surely exist in the real world. Glad to see they're getting on with the house before true winter sets in.
ReplyDeleteCardinals look so pretty in any season. That red just pops out.
ReplyDeleteWe have a pair of Cardinals here as well and I've enjoyed watching them rear 'Junior' these past few months. Mother and Junior would land on our bird station and she would show him how to eat the seeds and also feed him seeds as well. I've seen several other bird species doing this is and it's always a joy to see how they care for their young.
ReplyDelete