A Male Cardinal: Life In The Suburbs

February 19th, 2007
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Photo by Glynn Wilson
A male Northern cardinal [cardinalis cardinalis] visits a dogwood tree on day three of the Great Backyard Birdcount. The cardinals always seem to be the last birds to visit the feeders in the late afternoon. And they always issue their short, sharp warning call to alert the other birds when the hawks circle overhead, the cats come sneaking into the yard, or humans (like me) come sneaking around with a camera : ) But as time goes by, they seem to get used to me. Maybe they realize I’m the one keeping them in birdfeed and fresh water and making sure the bird baths stay clean. Some people may consider it cheating to put out food for the birds and then take their picture. But our philosophy is, humans have taken the birds’ habitat, fragmented it and polluted it, so it is our duty to help them out a little - especially in the cold winter months. And let’s face it. Life in the suburbs would be a dismal affair without them…

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