Many colorful birds leave us in the winter or have a more muted plumage, but the Northern Cardinal retains its bright, bold color and remains in our area throughout the entire year. I am always happy to spot a cardinal and the snowy white background really helps to showcase this male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) that I spotted yesterday at Huntley Meadows Park, the local marshland where I take many of my wildlife and nature photos.
On a cold, windy day, the cardinal was busily extracting seeds from what I think are rose hips of the Swamp Roses (Rosa palustris) that grow in the wet areas of the park.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
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I like that you got the seed hull flying. The little birds are like machines at this time of year getting to their seed. Cardinals are made for seeing in the snow, the perfect Christmas card.
He sure is puffed up. It must have been cold that day.
I love how puffy this Cardinal is. I really enjoy watching them munch through seeds. They remind me of my kids wowfing down cheese puffs. I do think cardinals are spectacular birds to see in the snow.
They do tend to stick out in the snow, great shot..:-)
Look how the color of the botanical bits echoes the color of the cardinal.
The red and the snow sure works for me!
I have to take advantage of the snow while we have it–we don’t have as much or have it as long as you do. 🙂
The seed hull looks almost like an extra eye. I’m with Steve–the scattered red seeds provide a great counterpoint.
Thanks. Gary. I really wonder if that is a seed hull above the eye or perhaps some kind of growth. I photographed a cardinal a couple of weeks ago that had the same feature (https://michaelqpowell.wordpress.com/2015/02/09/cardinal-and-rose-hips/). What do you think? In that posting, the cardinal was eating the same kind of seeds, but the boardwalk was a lot less photogenic as a backdrop than the white snow.
I can’t claim to be an expert on avian neoplasia (tumors), but I think that’s the most likely diagnosis-from-afar. The location of this one is different from that in the previous post, in which it looks like it’s very close to the ear. What it looks most like is a tick, but surely it’s too early for them to be out & about. You might ask your local extension service.
The cardinals are such a pop of colour in the snow… Stunning… A bit envious as we don’t have them here in Australia.
As always I’m very jealous of your cardinals