On the fence—part II

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On the fence—part II

December 12, 2014 by Mike Powell

Do you prefer the bold color of the iconic male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) to the more subtle coloration of the female cardinal or are you on the fence?

Yes, I am beginning today’s posting with the same question that I used in yesterday’s posting that featured a fierce-looking female cardinal, but today am featuring a male cardinal. Not far from where yesterday’s female was perched on the fence wire, her male partner was calmly sitting on a green fencepost, seemingly surveying his surroundings.

Some of yesterday’s responses suggested that many viewers prefer the bright red color of the male cardinal, a visible and welcome sight at this time of the year, when the landscape seems to be dominated by shades of gray.

The combination of the red cardinal and the green fencepost give this image a definite feeling of Christmas. Somehow I feel like it would be good to emulate this cardinal during this pre-holiday season and stop all our frantic activity for a moment, take a deep breath, and look and listen, remembering the true meaning of Christmas.

Posted in Art, Birds, Christmas, Nature, Photography, Portraits | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, Huntley Meadows Park, male Northern Cardinal, Northern cardinal, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 14 Comments

14 Responses

on December 12, 2014 at 7:39 am | Reply Dan Antion

Nice of him to turn a bit for you.
- on December 12, 2014 at 8:33 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I have quite a number of good shots of the back of his head. I waited….and finally he turned a bit.
on December 12, 2014 at 7:45 am | Reply Adèle d'Alleray

Oh my! Beautiful again!!! 🙂
on December 12, 2014 at 8:37 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

I ‘d love to see either one.
on December 12, 2014 at 9:08 am | Reply PA Pict

That green offsetting the red is just perfect. I like both genders of cardinals incidentally. The male has that vivid pop of colour but I like the variety of tones in the female.
on December 12, 2014 at 11:08 am | Reply Marie Keates

Now that would make a great Christmas card
on December 12, 2014 at 12:25 pm | Reply gaiainaction

Absolutely beautiful, I once saw one in around the Boston area, I was trilled to bits!
on December 12, 2014 at 2:01 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

Love the gorgeous photo and thoughtful musings.
on December 12, 2014 at 2:03 pm | Reply Jet Eliot

Very creative Christmas photo, Mike — a stunner. 😀
on December 12, 2014 at 9:16 pm | Reply Birder's Journey

I love them both! Curiously, I don’t think I ever appreciated Cardinals as much when I lived in New York. But when I see both males and females here in our wetlands and marshes, they seem spectacular!
on December 12, 2014 at 10:56 pm | Reply Sue

Very Christmassy! I like this composition, as well as the subtle head position.
- on December 13, 2014 at 10:31 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Sue. I took this from a pretty good distance away and most of my shots were of the back of the cardinal’s head. I was happy that he eventually turned his head a little bit.
on December 14, 2014 at 12:32 pm | Reply Robyn Graham Photography

So lovely Mike!
- on December 14, 2014 at 3:08 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Robyn. The bright red color of the cardinals is always a welcome sight.