A female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). One of many birds trying to ignore the snow that lasted more than hour this afternoon. A high temperature of 50° earlier in the day. I happened to look out and see so much snow coming down I was totally blown away.
Despite the fast temperature drop, it only dropped to the middle thirties. Not cold enough to allow the snow to last. Just enough to bring back childhood BLISS as it came down. Pure JOY!
It was not a surprise. I was looking forward to having a bit of snow fall overnight. As daylight arrived there was still a bit of the snow coming down. An inch managed to cover the ground. I’m delighted.
Here’s a female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). One of many that have been coming to the yard. During the winter I’ll see several of them at the feeder, others waiting in nearby trees. As many as 8 or 10 at a time. Mating season is quite a different situation when they become territorial.
And oh their color, the male with its brilliant scarlet or the more subtle female, both add much to the landscape.
A female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), hit by the sun at just the right angle and intensity, showing off her feathers at their best.
Cardinals are at their brightest coloring by midwinter/early spring, in preparation for the spring breeding season. They go through a complete molt in late summer, leaving them with not the brightest feathers but with feathers that have a subtle grayish dullness on the tips. As winter wears on, so do the feathers. Wearing off the dull tips revealing that brilliant red we know so well.
By midwinter/early spring the Cardinals will be ready for modeling for next year’s Christmas cards.
The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a year round resident, one that doesn’t migrate. Looking stunning all year long, but particularly in late autumn and winter, when there are few colors to complete with their many shades of red. This female Cardinal is enjoying Beautyberry (Callicarpa) drupes.
I don’t keep track of birds I’ve seen, where and when. No life list. Yesterday though, was the first time I’ve ever seen a fledgling Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). I won’t write it down. Just interesting to think of.
Cardinals generally lay their eggs late April to early May. Two to five eggs are laid, in a well hidden nest that the female has built, in dense shrubs, vines or low trees. The nest is composed of twigs, bark strips, leaves, grass and weeds, lined with fine grass or hair. The eggs will hatch after about 12 days of careful incubation by the female.
The baby Cardinals hatch with black legs and a black beak, a tiny poof of red feathers on their head. In 9 to 11 days after hatching, when they reach a point when they can fly, they will leave the nest. At the age of about 2 weeks they’ll learn to eat by themselves, but for another week or so their parents will still feed them. Approaching the age of 4 weeks the juvenile cardinals will have a bit of the coloring of soft brown or red plumage.
They’ll stay together as a family for about 2 months, while the young ones are learning to find food, and what predators are, and how to avoid them. After leaving their parents they’ll find other juvenile birds and flock with them. They’ll stay with the flock until they are ready to mate. At around 6 months they will reach their full size. By this time too their beak will have changed from black to the orange we’re familiar with.
It will take about 18 months for the young Cardinal to grow its full adult plumage. It’s a this point that all the adult feathers are in, with all the colors that we expect to see.
And then after all this growth and change I will see these beautiful birds with their lovely colors at my feeders.
