Everything was lovey-dovey, until it wasn't.
Last spring spouse put up a couple of bird feeders. Among the visitors were a pair of Northern Cardinals.
Northern Cardinals are a beautiful native bird to where I live in New York State. The male is a bright, bright red all year round. The otherwise drab female has some red on her here and there.
The
presence of Northern cardinals is supposed to symbolize deceased loved
ones being near. I've always loved seeing them. .
All through the spring and early summer, both cardinals would visit the feeder, feast on the safflower seeds inside, and even feed each other a seed now and then. Cardinals tend to mate for love, and this feeding behavior reinforces their bond.
Now, its winter. In late fall, we would see only the male. Finally they returned, usually after sunset, and not quite together. The female would arrive first, land on the feeder, and take a few seeds. (We've switched to a sunflower blend for the winter, mixed with safflower seeds.) Then the male would arrive, and would boot the female off the feeder. As in...well, if cardinals had boots....
The female would peck at the ground while the male took his time at the feeder.
It's hard to see (yes, folks, haven't given up the iPhone SE 1st edition yet), but here's the red male all nice and comfy at the feeder and the poor female (barely visible) on the snow, pecking away at the seeds that other birds had dropped or shoveled onto the ground.
No longer lovey-dovey.
Speaking of doves, I managed to get a mourning dove (middle of picture) in mid flight. They are ground feeders, and, fortunately for the female cardinal, they don't mind her feeding along with them.
Over on the left there is also a black eyed junco male feeding on a seed cake (to the left of the yellow object) but don't bother straining your eyes. And yes, the male is still there on the feeder.
I wonder when Mr. and Mrs. will get lovey-dovey again. Or will the female will get tired of being booted off the feeder and divorce him? Will I get to see an episode of Bird Divorce Court next?
It's worth waiting for.
...we have a pair of cardinals, but I don't see them every day.
ReplyDeleteGotta. love nature and especially birds! / Carol C
ReplyDeleteWho knew? There are lovers' spats even in nature.
ReplyDeletei love cardinals - your feeder is in the perfect position for your photos
ReplyDeleteI'm often mesmerized by the pecking order at my feeders...
ReplyDeleteThe male sounds like he needs to be yeeted into the sun. Very rude of him. There's a whole thing (usually via AITA posts from Reddit) which discuss terrible males who should be yeeted into the sun. (If you've never heard of AITA, don't look it up. Forget I ever mentioned it.)
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's a different pair? A stranger female? I wish I could see cardinals!
ReplyDeleteHe'll be solicitous when mating season arrives...
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ReplyDeleteCardinals always thrill me. Love to see them flying through snowy branches.
I suppose our deceased loved ones are near (the old family cemetery is near)...I've always seen them as symbols of "Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!" but, as in other species, males are expendable and often seem to deserve it. I've not seen one bully his mate. They usually do chase the young away, often bully other birds, and sometimes knock themselves out flying head-on at their reflections.
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