Category: Northern Cardinal

Ballistic Bird

Flying with your Wings Folded

 

 

I was taking a photograph of sparrows and goldfinches at my feeder during a rare lower Alabama snowstorm a few years ago. By sheer happenstance a female cardinal flew through the frame and demonstrated that birds are not always flapping while flying. She is out of focus but it is clearly obvious that her wings are fully folded in. It is probably an energy-saving technique. I have seen small birds fly through chain link fences without stopping. I would guess they use the same ballistic technique.

Cardinal Hour

 

Cardinals are some of the favorite visitors to our feeders. Their family interactions are entertaining and they seem to form long-lasting pairs. The male will shell out sunflower seeds and offer them to his mate. On occasion I have seen a female offer a seed to a male. Once the young cardinals have fledged, they will follow “Dad” around and beg for food, fluttering their wings, calling and opening their beaks wide. The bird at the top of our site is a young cardinal, colored similar to the female but with a dark beak.

We have noticed that cardinals are the last birds we see out feeding in the evening. We call it Cardinal Hour though it is closer to 15 minutes or so. All the other birds have disappeared for the day but the redbirds are still busily cracking sunflower seeds. It leaves us wondering why this is so. Do they see better in the dimmer light or perhaps feel as if their daytime adversaries are less likely to be present. They are also usually the first birds seen in the early morning.

The male cardinal photographed in bright sunlight looks as if he thinks it is no one’s business why he stays out late.

Birds with Water Problems

Birds Don’t Like Hard Water

Our local birds will not be getting one of the things they wished for. They prefer their water to look like this. Unfortunately for them, this is what the forecast has in store for them over the next week. They expect us to fix it. The entails taking some hot water out to melt the ice, or at least loosen it enough to dump out. Then some more tepid water to make sure it isn’t too hot when they come rushing back. If this doesn’t happen soon enough, some of them (frequently cardinals) will start looking in the kitchen window.