Thoughts of Cardinals

As a citizen of the Old North State, I am reminded that the state bird of North Carolina (and six other states) is the Northern Cardinal. While I can think of somewhat better candidates for this role, I can't deny that Northern Cardinals are wonderful visitors to any feeding station. I’m endlessly amused by their quirky behavior---furtiveness, restlessness, even a little paranoia. And I enjoy their full-bodied whistles and calls. Happily, I shall enjoy the music and the quirkiness for many years. We've got prime Cardinal habitat here at Cary BirdCam: a natural area which we’ve allowed to become tangly---I hear Cardinal “ticks” from that place all the time. There's plenty of water, and, to supplement natural foods we offer a spread of Cardinal-relished sunflower and safflower seeds. My rewards: Cardinals visit not only at the twilight periods but also quite frequently during the day all year long. And they bring their youngsters when they're reader to leave the nest. And they are willing to pose for the BirdCam: I’ve accumulated many fine pictures for my Cardinal family album.