This is my entry for the Feathered Friends - Show Me A Photo Contest Round 76 which is hosted by @nelinoeva! The theme for this round is "Young Birds - Fledglings". You can learn more about the contest and how to enter HERE!
I was by my window when I heard some loud squawking coming from the trees by the bird feeders. I saw what I thought, for a minute, was the male and female Cardinals. As it turned out the female (I think she is a she) Cardinal was the baby with the male daddy Cardinal who was tending to her. The mother Cardinal was nearby as well.
I really felt Blessed to see the love that the male Cardinal was showing towards his little girl. She was making quite a "racket" with her crying and flapping of her wings.
Her father was very attentive and would fly to the feeder to get her some seed and feed it to her. He did this a number of times.
When I first saw them they were more hidden in the trees ...
... but, luckily, they came out of the trees enough for me to get a better view of this loving interaction.
He was also guarded and was looking around for any signs of danger.
The mother Cardinal flew to the feeder just a little while later and also kept a guarded eye on the situation.
I do believe this is a male and female Cardinal that visit daily and on this visit they had brought their baby to the feeders. I've seen the mom and dad return alone several times since they brought their baby Cardinal to visit. My hope is that she is alive and well. Birds, especially the young ones, have many other birds and animals that can harm them as they are learning to fly and such. Not to mention just getting hurt while learning to fly or by a passing vehicle. I can only hope for the best for the little one as like most little ones they grow up and leave the nest to make a life and a family of their own. 💖
Ps: I only just took my photos within the last week so I'm thankful for the timing and just seeing this beautiful Cardinal family. I also made the baby Cardinal by herself my entry as to keep the focus on her (since that was the theme) even though the interaction with her daddy Cardinal was especially beautiful to see! 😊
All photos and text by me @deerjay. All rights reserved.
Oh man I so wish we had Cardnals here in Northern Calif. such gorgeous birds !!
Very nice shots @deerjay the closeup lead photo was great, perfect focus on the eye...
If you can get that the rest seems to fall into place.
Thank you very much @chromiumone!! I had a hard time deciding on my lead photo and find myself second guessing a lot so I really appreciate your lovely comment. I've heard that Cardinals aren't in some places further West. I'm sure there are birds there that aren't here as well. I've also seen some very pretty birds while at some local parks that I've never seen here in the yard. I can't blame them for that though..lol. I would stay in the parks too if I were them. It is nice to hear the birds singing especially in the early mornings. I love what you are doing in your backyard bird project. You will have some pretty lucky and happy birds there. Your squirrels there look different than the ones here (shh..but your squirrels are way cuter). I added a little bit of other seed to my feeders recently and attracted another squirrel or more that have decided to empty the feeders to get to the particular seed so I think I will be going back to straight safflower as they don't seem to like it very much. I may still put out some other seed in the backyard for the squirrels though since I still like those cute critters. I did have a big mama squirrel that visited every once in a while but haven't seen her lately. Hopefully, she is still around and enjoying more of what nature has to offer in the way of berries and such. Anyway, good luck in the contest and wishing you a most wonderful weekend!! 💕
Yeah I can see why you had a hard time choosing the lead photo because they are all great !!
I think this post is going to leave mine in the dust for the contest lol
The Squirrel is a Fox Squirrel, they live and make their dens in the trees and they all have big ol bushy tails also they are the largest tree squirrel in Calif. We have other kinds here, Ground Squirrels are common here as well, they are smaller. Have a brown coat with balck and white stripes and spots and a little short skraggly tail.They live in ground burrows though so no need for the big counter balance tail for ripping through the treetops at lighning speed. We have Gray and Black Squirrels as well and I've heard that there are Flying Squirrels( Humboldt Flying Squirrels) here as well but I've never seen one O.o
Have a Great weekend @deerjay !!
You are too kind! Nah, I don't think so at all but thank you for saying that. I loved your post and those cute little birds were so adorable! I love Sparrows and I know here the females especially have such cute personalities. I've found the female Sparrows much more trusting than the males and will let me get closer to them. The males are a little more stand offish but I'm slowly winning them over (I think). 🙂
I went back and looked at your squirrel and saw it was a Fox squirrel which I thought was the same but probably different that the gray squirrel so maybe your gray squirrel is the same as here...
I must say that such scenes of parents feeding their chicks are priceless to watch and to capture them in frame even more. It is beautiful, really it is. 🙂
Thank you for bringing smile on my face. 🙂
Thank you so much Neli!! I do feel so lucky to have seen this interaction along with some other loving interactions with the birds. You can tell some of the bird couples really love each other and their offspring. Not much different than us humans really. I'm very happy you liked it and made you smile! 🙂💕
Yes. It is amazing to see how caring some birds can be.
I watched yesterday how two young gulls were chasing their parent on the roof of the neighbouring block. It was at dusk and could not see well, but the adult got something in the beak, dinner perhaps, but the hungry chicks were running behind to and fro.
I can just picture that in my mind Neli! I bet it made you laugh to see the chicks running behind like that..lol. Have a wonderful weekend! 💕
Agree 💯% @nelinoeva ❤
Thank you so much @pixresteemer!! 🤗💞
The baby Cardinal is just precious! You really got a lot of great shots of them. Nice!
Thank you very much @sunscape!! 😊💖
Endearing sight right outside your window, how lucky you are to have the whole family there.
Hopefully the young one grows to be strong after all the loving care bestowed upon her.
!LUV
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Thank you @joanstewart!! I do feel lucky to have witnessed the love the Cardinals have for each other! I do hope she is doing well! 💖
Birds with young often hide in plain sight, I seldom see the nests here. Each little one counts!
So true @joanstewart! It is much harder to see the birds when the trees have foliage. I can hear them though so I know they are in there somewhere. Once in a while I can spot them but they are too hidden among the branches to capture with my camera. That could be partially due to operator error though on my part..lol. 😉
Small birds seldom advertise their nesting spots, doves are the only ones where out in the open everything upsets their breeding here.
See the little ones being fed at the feeder again come Spring, they kick up a fuss about not having enough!
!LUV
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This was such a great post for me to happen upon! Do you know that I have never seen a baby cardinal? We have lots of cardinals at the four feeders, even the Mallards bring their little ones up to hoover the area under the feeder. It has sunflower seeds in one feeder, and songbird in the other.
I am so glad you captured these shots of a cardinal family in parent mode. How interesting to see the father taking on the baby alone. I am not sure why that surprised me, but, I think I usually see females.
Good luck with the contest and thank you for the wonderful entry!
Thanks so much Denise!! This is the first time that I've seen a baby Cardinal too (that I can remember anyway)! It is heartwarming watching the different bird couples show love for each other and not just in the, shall we say, obvious way..lol. I was a bit surprised also to see the male feeding the baby and the female looking on. I guess they take turns and I happened to catch them on his turn. Wishing you a wonderful tomorrow and weekend! 💕
Hehe! It's so funny! Nobody I know has ever seen a baby either! I was quite pleased that you got one and you shared it with all of us!
Much appreciation! ❤️
I hope all is well in your world!
Dear @deerjay, sorry to jump in a bit off topic but may I ask you to support the HiveSQL proposal?
It lost its funding recently and your help would be much appreciated to keep the HiveSQL service free for the Hive community.
You can do it on Peakd, Ecency,
Thank you for your support!
Quite alright @arcange! Just took care it! 💕
Thank you for your support @deerjay, really appreciate it! 👍
Most welcome and thanks for bringing it to my attention!! Have a wonderful weekend!! 💖
Have a good weekend too.
!LUV
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These cardinals are just beautiful birds with an unusual showy appearance. I like them very much. Thanks for sharing with us.
Thanks so much @ratel!! I think so too and they are definitely one of my favorite birds. 💖
I too (or three or four?) have never seen a baby Cardinal at this young age. Too cute!
Excellent images, my friend! @deerjay
Taking the happiness back to my blog!
!LUV
❤❤❤
Thank you so much Nina!! Your beautiful comment it warming my heart now and has lifted my Spirit which I very very much needed so thank you again! 😊
It was a first for me as well to see this young Cardinal and how thankful I am to have seen such a display. I think God has been letting me see some things like this to help me keep hope in this crazy world right now. The birds genuinely show love to their mates and it is a beautiful thing to see the couples together. 💖
Wishing you a very beautiful and wonderful weekend!! 💞
They say seeing Cardinals are signs from loved ones who have passed away. The adorable baby Cardinal must be indicative of something extra special coming your way!♥️
People can learn so much from these incredibly loyal, close knit and hard working birds. Same as for you, watching them and seeing the same ones return to the feeders warms my heart and lifts my spirits. Have a terrific Sunday, Dee! @deerjay🙌 ☪️ 💫
Thank you so much Nina!! Yes, I have heard of that as well. It is wonderful seeing how they interact with each other. I know that I have several couples of different birds and two of the breeds seem very affectionate. It is lovely to see and does indeed lift ones Spirit. Have a very beautiful week ahead Nina!! 💐💕
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Oh my Dee! What wonderful captures of the love of the father bird for the baby. ❤️ These are priceless photos. Cardinals are beautiful. They are on the Island but I haven’t seen any in my area.
Have a wonderful weekend, my friend. 💕 😊
Thank you very much Jo!! It really was so special to see the little Cardinal and how the dad was tending to her. There aren't as many birds visiting right now since nature has lots of berries to offer. I did see a little Black-capped Chickadee yesterday which is the first one that I've seen in a couple of months. I'm pretty sure some Mockingbirds are hanging out in the back yard as well. I hope you get to see a Cardinal there! It has gotten hot and humid here so I find myself not going out as much and I haven't been feeling good. Wishing you the best and a beautiful coming week!! 💐💕
What wonderful pictures :) It's awesome to see the whole family together like that! Have you seen the baby again yet?
!LUV
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Thanks so much @wrestlingdesires and the VYB curation project!! I really appreciate it! I have not seen the baby since but I do hope and pray she is doing okay. 😊💖
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