Cardinals and cowbirds

Posted on August 3, 2013 by admin

For those of you who did not know this, brown-headed cowbirds do not raise their own young. They leave their eggs in the nests of other birds. Some say this evolved from when they were following herds of bison. I have seen young cowbirds this summer with groups of house sparrows and grackles. I have always suspected that some of the cardinals that nest in our yard were also raising cowbirds. Some folks get pretty hostile about this and really dislike cowbirds, which is really just speciesist. They are just doing what they do. I could go on about the irony of humans getting angry about this, but I think that is pretty clear. This morning, I witnessed a female cardinal feeding a young cowbird. There was an adult male cowbird nearby just taking it all in. I remember reading a while back that flocks of cowbirds will come and “collect” the young that are being raised by other species of birds. They have a special song they sing that calls them. Fascinating! I assume the young one I saw this morning is too young to go with the group, but how interesting that the adult cowbird was nearby watching the cardinal mom feeding the baby. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Fledglings everywhere

Posted on July 2, 2013 by admin

Young grackles, starlings, jays, catbirds, and cardinals. Click on pictures to enlarge.

A few yardbirds

Posted on June 8, 2013 by admin

Adults are starting to bring their babies around and I am loving watching the robins stuff as many raisins in their mouths as they can to distribute among the young ones. I was thinking this morning that perhaps one of the reasons few people really experience the birds around them is it takes a lot of time before birds become comfortable enough with a human to get close. I have robins coming up to me on the patio for raisins, but that did not happen overnight (I started handing out raisins during our awful extended winter). They are leery of humans, as they should be. Generally, when I sit outside to watch, I need to be in my “sit spot” for about an hour before they get comfortable enough with my presence to hangout nearby. I realize my own privilege in being able to make time to do this. Time outside being still and quiet, watching everything, is immensely good for my soul. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Happy

Posted on August 5, 2012 by admin

Morning visits to the patio from this lovely cardinal just make me smile. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Heat and more heat

Posted on July 31, 2012 by admin

If you can, put out a water bowl for neighborhood animals. With temperatures expected in the hundreds for the rest of the week here in Kansas, everyone needs to stay hydrated. I’ve even been hearing about many hawks and owls around the area visiting sprinklers and bird baths to keep cool.

Bald cardinals

Posted on July 19, 2012 by admin

You may have seen some bald birds around your yard this summer. Not to worry; it seems to be a summer thing for quite a few birds. The first time I saw a bald Northern cardinal in our yard, I was very worried about her, but according to Cornell, this may be quite normal, and nothing to worry about. I have to wonder if the bald cardinals I’ve been seeing around the yard for the last couple of weeks are much cooler without those head feathers. First the female nesting in our yard showed up completely bald and now the male has too. Click on pictures to enlarge.

She has all her feathers back now. 🙂

And, they have a new nest.

Hungry baby cardinal

Posted on June 24, 2012 by admin

I was cooking dinner when I saw this baby cardinal and her father on the patio. I ran for the camera and filmed them through the window. How sweet!

Cardinal closeup

Posted on June 18, 2012 by admin

This is the momma cardinal of the pair nesting in our yard. She keeps an eye on me whenever I am wandering around outside. I was looking at some plants, looked up, and she was right over my head. Click on pictures to enlarge.