It's nesting season again and some of the local Northern Cardinals have already produced their first broods. I counted six young Cardinals at the bird feeders yesterday (all present at the same time). They're rather unattractive right now with their splotchy patches of red feathers and dusky beaks. However, it won't take long for them to mature into their beautiful red plumage and red-orange beaks. I enjoy seeing the changes occur as they mature.
I also enjoy watching these inexperienced youngsters in flight. Their clumsiness sometimes finds them in the weirdest positions, like the one in the first photo- ouch, what a rough landing!
Being the youngsters they are, they fight a lot at the feeders. I rarely see two juveniles eating from the same feeder. This behavior was probably learned from the nest as they had to assure they received their share of food brought in by their parents.
I wish you all a great weekend and to those of you who reside in the U.S.,
I wish you a wonderful Independence Day!
YEAH!!!!! Congrats and enjoy while they hang around. We have Cardinals here and I always love seeing the juveniles hang around. Pretty awesome birds!
ReplyDelete