Cardinals in Winter

At dawn or dusk the cardinals are at this feeder. It is a magnet for them. I was lucky to get any pictures at all because they tend to fly when we are around. It's really hard to see in this picture, but there is a beautiful male cardinal sitting in the middle of the sunflower feeder in the herb garden. Click the picture to enlarge it. We have several pairs of cardinals who come and eat with us every day. Some times there are up to four pairs feeding at one time. They have their fights, but in the end they find a way to coexist together. I love that the male and female cardinals both sing. Mostly it is the male in the bird species that sing. Cornell University has a great website for all things bird. The picture at the bottom is one of the females that comes each day. They are very comical with the tuft or crown standing up when they become alarmed. We enjoy all the birds that feed at our house, but the cardinals in winter are particularly beautiful.