The life of Cardinal

The fist time I have ever seen a Cardinal was when we moved to Nebraska. I couldn't believe what I was seeing in my garden. What a beautiful bird, and he can sing. If you haven't heard this bird before, watch the video below.

You can see and hear these birds here in Chicago area as well. They are everywhere.

Usually you spot a couple. What a picture, I have never seen this before!



 

"The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a North American bird in the genus Cardinalis; it is also known colloquially as the redbird or common cardinal. It can be found in southern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and south through Mexico. It is found in woodlands, gardens, shrub lands, and swamps.
The Northern Cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21 cm (8.3 in). It has a distinctive crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and gray in the female. The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull red-brown shade.
The Northern Cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on insects and fruit. The male behaves territorially, marking out his territory with song. During courtship, the male feeds seed to the female beak-to-beak. A clutch of three to four eggs is laid, and two to four clutches are produced each year. It was once prized as a pet, but its sale as a cage bird is now banned in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918." - Wikipedia




 Northern Cardinal in the USA

 

My husband and I are bird watching enthusiasts, so a bird feeder was the first thing added to our garden. It didn't take long for our Cardinal couple to find it, so we were really enjoying the view, and not only that. We were so lucky, and witnessed much more. There was a medium size needle tree right in front of our den window. One day I found a nest there, and this is the story:



Week one - 3 eggs

I wonder how long I have to sit here...



 Finally hatched...

We are really hungry!!!



I swear...I have no idea what happened, but it is just me now. Is anybody coming to feed me?

Father: I am really glad I have found this feeder. Mother: Stop talking and eat!

Father: That is enough, let's go. Mother: I am not flying back and forth the whole day.

What on earth...Where is he?

 

Father: I have found him!



Mother is really angry, she wants you to start flying and finally feed yourself.



Absolutely, positively NOT ready

You can't be serious. You want me to fly up there?!

Not happening.

I need to hide somewhere else...

Maybe here, one just needs to blend in


 

Baby: No! I am not going...!Father: Enough is enough, you can't hide forever


 

Who says -forever-, one more day in another bush, maybe...

And how did it end? We did see him flying. YES, we did. Actually, we saw his very first flight - around our house being followed by the mother and father. And from that day on, we were watching 3 Cardinals on our feeder.