Sing Like You Mean It! - Northern Cardinal

We have Northern Cardinals here all winter. This was not always true. I remember twenty years ago that had I seen one in the winter, I would have telephoned someone to rave about it. This past winter, I had two pairs. The cardinals nest here. Every fall they bring their fledglings to the feeders. For a couple of weeks, it looks like there are as many as 8 males. But really, it's the youngsters. Cardinals have an endearing habit of feeding one another, beak to beak. It's really cute. This guy is courting a lady. He sits in the trees and whistles. In the top photo, he is relaxed. In the second, his crest raises up. And in the third, his beak is open for the whistle.

There are rain drops on his crest like diamonds studding his crown. To hear the Cardinal sing, click here for a recording.