Cardinal Valentines

[yourlibrarian]

We've been happy to see the return of cardinals to our balcony as they've been coming by several times a day to munch that yummy yummy birdseed we have out. What's particularly cute about the cardinal couple is that they feed one another seeds from time to time. We sort of caught that here:



They also seem to have a chaperone...

Comments

[shirebound]

So adorable!

[yourlibrarian]

We've been enjoying watching them. The other day the female was singing for the male and he responded by trying to feed her a seed.

[ladybrooke]

Lol, I love the little photobomber in the background. He looks like he's going "Ugh, you all are so sweet, it sickens me".

[yourlibrarian]

Hah!

[veritas_poet]

So pretty!

[yourlibrarian]

The very first nest we had on our balcony was a pair of cardinals but we didn't see them back often after the nest failed. So it's been nice to have them as regular visitors again lately.

[sasha_feather]

I think these might be purple finches? Cardinals usually have a little crest on the top of their heads.

[yourlibrarian]

We have the finches visiting us too, but no these are cardinals. The crests just aren't visible in the pic.

[sasha_feather]

Oh ok! They sure are pretty. :)

[yourlibrarian]

I nabbed some photos today of what I believe are the birds you're thinking of and will post them here sometime this next week :)

[marycatelli]

Yeah, doesn't look like a cardinal to me for the lack of that crest.

[yourlibrarian]

It's the angle really, but they are :)

[jesse_the_k]

Technical question: did you change the hue/saturation on that image? I really like its flat lighting.

[yourlibrarian]

Not on this one, no. But I do for a number of photos to compensate for a lack of brightness or clarity when we're shooting through the glass door (and at a distance). Luckily the cardinals already have a good deal of color as opposed to, say, mourning doves.

Although this photo is from last year, the grackles are again nesting in our balcony roof. This is much more often the sort of resolution we get from photos that have any movement in them.

Thanks

[jesse_the_k]

Grackles are smart enough to nest upside down!

Re: Thanks

[yourlibrarian]

Oh they've definitely been acrobatic getting in and out of the siding gap. This year I kept watching them trying and failing to make it in while carrying grasses and such. I suspect they have an easier time when their beaks are free.

[kk1raven]

That's a starling, not a grackle. You can tell by the colors of the bill and feet, and the shape of the tail.

[yourlibrarian]

I think you're right -- there are more photos here.

[jesse_dylan]

Wow!! Beautiful little visitors!

I am so thankful for all the birds I can hear around my house. Sometimes I even get hummingbirds. I wish I worked somewhere with more birds and open windows. Birds make life so much nicer.

[yourlibrarian]

They're definitely fun to watch! And you reminded me that we need to get our hummingbird feeder up because it's about time for them to start showing up.

[jesse_dylan]

Which reminds me that I need to get mine up, too!!! Although I think they arrive a little later here, so maybe this weekend will be good enough for me... They are magical creatures.