Cardinal Convention

[tuxluvr]

STEP ONE: Before engaging a venue for a large convention, you should first send an investigative scout to determine if the facility has enough seats for large meetings. This tree should do nicely.



STEP 2: Next, make sure there are suitable sleeping quarters.

STEP 3&4: Check the menu - SUNFLOWER SEEDS, YUMMERS!...Also, check perimeter for safety from natural fur-bearing predators...this one has a safety glass wall, and would provide a good opportunity to study our predator's habits up close, an added bonus! (although we have to admit we were scared at first)

STEP 5: Meet with the budget committee for final approval


STEP 6: INVITE ALL YOUR FRIENDS!

[Barbara]

Wow! What a great show. What do you cats say about it?

[tuxluvr]

Originally posted by Barbara
Wow! What a great show. What do you cats say about it?

Ritzy has been glued to her "cat tv" all weekend! (CAT TV=PATIO WINDOW)

[jenluckenbach]

I just love cardinals. What lovely pictures!!!

[Randi]

What beautiful pictures!! If that's the view from you house, you're very lucky!

[neko1]

Those pictures are absolutely gorgeous!!!

[Cataholic]

That is fabulous!!!! Ms. Ritzy is sooo lucky, as are you, to witness the beauty of cardinals. Mom just told me today she saw her first one...signaling Spring....apparently, the six miles that separate she and I mean totally different weather conditions...since I see nothing resembling Spring.

I love those photos!!! And, the narration was great.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Wow! How do you get so many cardinals??? Were there any females? (I have one pair at Edwina's Entertainment Center.) Is there special feed you use?

[lailamara]

Wow!!! We only have two. Do you always have so many?

[tuxluvr]

Well, actually in our neck of the woods, they hang around all winter, so they are not a sign of spring (unfortunately). They are our state bird, I guess I see why now.

Yes, there are females - in fact, they seem to hang out in pairs. When the males are in the tree, the females are up eating in the feeders and vice versa.

We usually always have 2 or 3 nesting pair in our yard (in fact, somewhere in my digital attic I have a picture of one on her nest in a lilac bush) - I've read that they mate for life and don't leave their chosen area throughout their lives....not sure where I read that, on a web site devoted to birding I think...

Anyway, I don't know why there are so many this year. This morning (when the picture was taken) I counted 11 males and 11 females...(couldn't get them all int he picture). There has been more snow than usual this winter, so perhaps the food source has been less plentiful and they are just going wherever they can find it. Whenever there is a lot of snow or ice, we try to keep the feeders full.

As to food - the cardinals LOVE sunflower seeds! They eat them one at a time, breaking away the hulls and eating the insides - looks like one of those peanut shell bars on our back deck...nothing but sunflower hulls! We went to Lowes and bought this enormous bag of just sunflower seeds.....my father used to grow big sunflowers and place the heads around for birds to eat in the winter.

They also like field corn. We have an ear of corn mounted on a post that sits upright so they can perch on it and pick off the kernels.

We have also had two different kinds of woodpeckers, blue jays, red finches, bluebirds and others I haven't figured out yet....it's just been amazing this winter.

[tuxluvr]

flicka(woodpecker)


momma cardinal


poppa cardinal (from the back)

Incredible special pictures !!!! I love those cardinals !!

[popcornbird]

BIRDIES!!!!! AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! I WANT THEM!!!!!!! We don't have cardinals here, so I've never seen one in real life! They are BEAUTIFUL! I wish we had them here!

[smokey the elder]

Wow, there's more cardinals there then in St. Peter's at EAster. Beautiful pics! I'm so glad you feed the birds, especially this tough winter. They seem to appreciate it. There must be a safe home alert on birdie.com.

[NoahsMommy]

Gorgeous!!! Those pictures are amazing....the birds are so vibrant, my hubby thought the picture was fake. Beautiful!