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Cardinals (1 Viewer)

Bird Boy

Well-known member
I have a lot of Cardinals. I have counted over 50 at one time. Love it.
The first pic was taken after an ice storm. That is, actually, the top of a 40 foot tall tree that was bent over from the weight of the ice.
 

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Nice thing to see, all that red among the bare branches. Wish we had Cardinals to brighten up the winter landscape out here in Nevada.
 
Very cool picture Bird Boy, I wish I had more, I only have one pair male/female and I noticed another came to my feeder but the pair chased him away.
 
The most I've ever gotten is about 4 or 5 pairs, but man, the males just fight to no end, so it's not a calm and cool event.
 
Awww why do British birds tend to be dull-coloured!? The most colourful bird I get is blue tit, which is nowhere as bright and striking as American birds...
I love cardinals - but the closest I have is a wooden cardinal on my desk :)
 
Yes, they will brighten up an otherwise gloomy day.
Over the years, many people have told me of, after experiencing some tragedy in their lives, a Cardinal alighted in front of them and, not only brightened their day but, gave them hope.

Hey, some fool brought Starlings and House Sparrows over here from England. Maybe, some fool will take some Cardinals over to you. |=)|

Joe, they only fight about 10 months out of the year...
 

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Yes, they will brighten up an otherwise gloomy day.
Over the years, many people have told me of, after experiencing some tragedy in their lives, a Cardinal alighted in front of them and, not only brightened their day but, gave them hope.

Hey, some fool brought Starlings and House Sparrows over here from England. Maybe, some fool will take some Cardinals over to you. |=)|

Joe, they only fight about 10 months out of the year...

:) That would be great (or not great!) starling and house sparrows are declining badly in UK so please look after them nicely in America too :)

Sorry to sound daft but what is the full name of 'Cardinals' and what are those paler looking ones?
 
:) That would be great (or not great!) starling and house sparrows are declining badly in UK so please look after them nicely in America too :)

Sorry to sound daft but what is the full name of 'Cardinals' and what are those paler looking ones?

Yes, we take good care of the Starlings and House Sparrows....would you like some Brown-headed Cowbirds, too?
The full name for cardinals is Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). The lighter ones are females but, there are a lot of variations that occur. Below is a typical female and male together.
 

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Yes, we take good care of the Starlings and House Sparrows....would you like some Brown-headed Cowbirds, too?
The full name for cardinals is Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). The lighter ones are females but, there are a lot of variations that occur. Below is a typical female and male together.

Thanks for the ID I used to think they were all red *blushes* Nice photo :)

Brown headed cowbirds? I have no clue what they are but yes please :D

In return would you like some 'impossible-to-identify-brown-warblers' of UK?
 
Ummm, you don't want brown-headed cowbirds.......trust me. They are basically a typical agressive blackbird that shows up in mass numbers, and they are most famously a nest parasite. They stake out a victim nest, wait for the parent to leave, sneak in, then throw out an egg or two, and replace them with theirs. The unsuspecting parent doesn't know the difference, and unknowingly raised the intruder's young, even if the baby is much larger then the parent. A few birds can identify and destroy cowbird eggs, but there are cases where the female cowbird will take revenge and destroy the whole nest and eggs.
 
Ummm, you don't want brown-headed cowbirds.......trust me. They are basically a typical agressive blackbird that shows up in mass numbers, and they are most famously a nest parasite. They stake out a victim nest, wait for the parent to leave, sneak in, then throw out an egg or two, and replace them with theirs. The unsuspecting parent doesn't know the difference, and unknowingly raised the intruder's young, even if the baby is much larger then the parent. A few birds can identify and destroy cowbird eggs, but there are cases where the female cowbird will take revenge and destroy the whole nest and eggs.

Dang it, I thought I was going to get rid of some Cowbirds. You have ticks in the UK? Want some?

Mari, we have so many plain looking sparrows that we just call them LBBs (Little Brown Birds). I have given up on identifying them. Then, in the fall, a lot of other birds look just like the sparrows.

Pic #1 is a plain looking bird. I saw it and didn't pay it any mind until it started singing. It is a Warbling Vireo. (It was a Susan Boyle kind of moment.)

One might never guess what pic #2 is.

Pic #3 is just a very interesting pic. Talk about your ugly duckling. That will become one of the most colorful birds in the world.
 

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House Sparrows are being, somewhat, displaced by the House Finch. And that is OK by me. Are there House Finches in the UK?
 

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I'd be perfectly ok if house sparrows got replaced by house finches. Although some would say house finches are pests, I personally like them. They have a wonderful song, especially in spring, they are not agressive by any strech of the word, and they are pretty. However, I don't notice the numbers of house sparrows dropping in any way, even though I have plenty of house finches. I have read that there is a relationship between the humber of house sparrows vs. the number of house finches, in that when house sparrow numbers decline, the house finch numbers rise.
 
Nope, we don't have house finches... they look really pretty though!

LBB? Oh, us English call them LBJ - Little Brown Jobs :)
 
Those cardinals are stunning! I would love to have a flock of those in my yard. I am interested in feeding, but fear that I would only attrack house sparrows by doing so.
 
In your first photo I also noticed what appears to be a male Red-bellied Woodpecker (on a suet feeder).

The "One might never guess what pic #2 is." photo looks like a moulting Indigo Bunting to me.

I will not even offer a suggestion as to the "ugly ducking" photo! ;)
 
In your first photo I also noticed what appears to be a male Red-bellied Woodpecker (on a suet feeder).

The "One might never guess what pic #2 is." photo looks like a moulting Indigo Bunting to me.

I will not even offer a suggestion as to the "ugly ducking" photo! ;)

Right on the Red-bellied Woodpecker. Right on Pic#2, the Indigo Bunting. Pic #3 is......an immature Painted Bunting. I assume that it is a male because of the "cape". But, it might be a female.
 

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Those cardinals are stunning! I would love to have a flock of those in my yard. I am interested in feeding, but fear that I would only attrack house sparrows by doing so.

You have House Sparrows there? I wonder if it was the same ### who brought them over here..

Funny story...I turned a young man on to bird watching and he called me one day to tell me that he had just seen the most beautiful bird in town, at a mall. He asked me if I would come in and ID it for him. When I arrived, he excitedly pointed at it and asked, "Isn't it beautiful?! What is it?" I located the bird he was pointing at and replied, "That, my friend, is a male House Sparrow...".
The funny thing was that the gray cap was strong on the bluish tint and the chestnut shoulders were strong on the reddish tint. It was, in fact, the most colorful House Sparrow I have ever seen. Student turns master on to something new. Ok by me. :clap:
 
Oh, do we ever have house sparrows! There's a house around the corner that puts feed out for birds, and occasionally I'll see a galah or a rosella feeding, but mostly around 20 or so house sparrows. I don't want that.

I find that the males can be very beautiful and striking when they're plumage is in good condition, and they do like quite nice. But they are a nuisance.
 
They are indeed a bit overwhelming, but I simply cannot deny them the credit they deserve for their ability to not only surivive in our deep, dark urban environments, but thrive. I'm an electrician in a very large factory/plant, located in a vast industrial wasteland, with contaminated soil, air pollution, and very very few trees. I cannot help but smile when I see a house sparrow be-bopping around in such a habitat. In fact, last summer, I'd sit outside and eat my lunch, and feed cracker crumbs or bread to a male house sparrow, who was my buddy, or my "mascot", which I told people he was.
 
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