Images of a bright red cardinal in the brilliant white snow—some might view such shots as a bit cliché, but I view them instead as iconic. I ventured out into my neighborhood earlier this week after the snow had stopped falling and was thrilled to find a small group of Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis). They spent most of their time buried in the branches, but eventually I was able to capture some unobstructed images of some male cardinals.
Although I like the details of the second shot, the first shot really draws me in by presenting a better depiction of the snowy environment. In some parts of the country this is a typical winter scene, but here in Northern Virginia, this is the biggest snow storm we have had since 2016, so it was pretty unusual to have this kind of photo opportunity.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
The cardinal in the snow is gorgeous, how could one possibly see too much of them? I posted a NZ dragonfly for you and Benjamin.. yawn, 6.24am here.
Nature’s gifts! Great capture…thank you for sharing. I am very appreciative of the beauty of our amazing world and all it has to offer. The contracts are very visually pleasing!
Benjamin likes the second photo best, but thinks the first one shows “the mostest snow”. I can not choose a favorite, both are so lovely. There is just something so beautiful in the contrast of the brilliant red of the Cardinal and the white snow. Benjamin said : “The poor bird is getting fluffy to stay warm. Gem, he needs those black seeds that we put in your feeders. Tell Mr. Mike to do that too!” He is impatiently waiting for snow, we haven’t had any this year as it has gone above & below us, but never over us yet. Enjoy it! Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
Thanks so much for the feedback. I am not surprised that Benjamin’s first instinct is to prefer the more detailed shot. I am thrilled that he noticed that the cardinal had fluffed up its feathers to stay warm. We had close to a foot of snow from this snowstorm, the biggest snow storm in a couple of years. We could easily have had more, given that it snowed for more than thirty hours continuously in nearby National Airport.
I have some photos of a female and male Cardinal taken in a hackberry bush yesterday that I will be posting soon. They will look a lot warmer than your guy.
Yes. This snowy scenery really shows the pucture. Love it.
Beautiful images, Mike! A perfect Christmas card shot.
Around here the snow with the stark grays and browns make them more lovely! We see them daily at our feeder. With the last storm they can in 5s and 6s.
I agree with iconic, and these are great examples! If you have to have snow you might as well take advantage!
Wow! The cardinal really stands out in snow!
Unlike many other birds, the male cardinal makes no attempt to blend in with its surroundings. 🙂
[…] January 16, 2019 Cardinal in the snow (https://michaelqpowell.com/2019/01/16/cardinal-in-the-snow-3/) […]
[…] I am always thrilled to see one of my images in print and I was excited yesterday when I finally received a printed copy of the magazine. One of my goals this year is to have more of my photos printed—I have a few of my favorites hanging on the wall already, but still have room for more of them. If you are interested in seeing the original posting in which this image appeared, click on this link to Cardinal in the snow. […]