I never get tired of taking photos of ordinary birds, like this male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) that I spotted yesterday Initially the cardinal turned his head slight and peeked at me over his shoulder. Eventually he ended up giving me a better view, though it did seem like he was either shy or coy.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Might be ordinary, but what great colour!
Thanks,Chris. Before long we will have other colorful birds, but during the dull dreary days of winter, it’s always a joy to see the brilliant red of the male cardinal.
Having grown up in southeastern Pennsylvania, Cardinals were regular backyard visitors to our numerous bird feeders. I always loved the coloring of the females too. This little fellow is beautifully captured in your photos. Benjamin will enjoy this post on Monday. Thank-you!
One of the things I love most about the cardinals is that they stay with us throughout the winter. Some birds seem to try to camouflage themselves, something a male cardinal cannot do.
Wouldn’t you love to know what he is thinking as he gives you “the eye” 🙂 Great picture!
Thanks. I definitely had the sense that he was looking right at me. I too would love to know what birds think–it’s way too easy to impute human emotions.
Yes it is. 🙂
Ordinary? looks pretty spectacular to me.
I guess I should have called the cardinal “commonplace” rather than ordinary. I find the beauty of both the male and female cardinals to be extraordinary.
Benjamin recognized the Cardinal because we have them in my backyard feeders. He was quite fascinated with the details visible in your photos. “I see black feathers around his little orange beak.” We are going to learn more about Cardinals today. Thank-you x 2!!
That is so cool. Benjamin seems to have a really good eye and is quite observant.
Even though I’m a Giants fan, I do like the bright red sight of a cardinal.