I believe they have come to know me since my mother is unable to feed them every day as she once was and I have taken over that duty as well. This afternoon as I was walking back to our house from getting our mail, as I neared the cardinals started flying in. By the time I got through the door and turned back around there were about 10 who were fluttering around the area, so I gathered up a handful of sunflower seeds and spread them out on our handicap ramp and by the time I went and found my camera there were about 10 who were feasting. These photos were all taken through glass.
There are several names for a group of cardinals, including "college," "conclave," "deck," and "radiance." I rather liked the "Vatican" description.
Males with the brightest red color are known to feed at higher rates and have greater reproductive success than males that are duller in color. My observation is that the brightest reds appear to be the most dominant in the male population.
Fights frequently break out when there is food involved.
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the reddest of them all?
21 comments:
nope, i won't tire of them one bit. :) you have almost as many cardinals as i have whistlers. :)
Great title!
Wow that is beautiful!
I can't believe how many you have. I would be happy to see one.
The cardinal is such a beautiful bird. You got some great shots.
I would love to see just one let alone 10. They are so pretty. Love the last photo!
I would never tire of cardinals. We have more then I have ever seen at the ranch this year. I don't feed birds out there since we don't live there but they are snacking on something John feeds the cattle.
Looks to me like you have a whole conclave of dominant males!
i love the fluttering one in the first photo.. i have never seen this many in one place. it is amazing and i noticed only 1 female with all these males. no wonder they are fighting. LOL
I could never tire of seeing your cardinals! We have a few, but not nearly as many as you. The cardinal is what got me into birding, so it will always be special to me. :)
I love cardinals and never get tired of seeing them. How have you been? I miss you. My mother just passed last montht, the day after her 89th birthday. Take care. Glad to see you are still taking photos.
You really have a treasure in the backyard, it looks like a aviary there. 40 of those beautiful birds, I think I would watch them for hours.
I don't think I have ever seen that many cardinals in one place before!
That's a blessing to see so many Cardinals at one time. Wonderful captures too!
Oh my gosh, what beautiful photos! You are so blessed to have these colorful birds living so near by.
Wow -- what a treat to see so many beautiful cardinals! I love your name for the group -- "vatican" -- clever. Sorry to hear your time has been limited lately. Hopefully, we'll both get back on track soon. I hope your mom is doing well. You're a terrific daughter looking after her.
I LOVE these!!!!! This is really really cool. I would have wet my pants. Maybe that's too much information:)
When I came back and took a second look at these photos, I had to smile at the middle one. It really does make me think of those red robed gentlemen gathering at the Vatican.
You are blessed! Must seem hard to feel that way sometimes, but what a cheerful gathering this is and you get it everyday! Miss you.
Magpie
This congregation of Cardinals is remarkable! I don't think any viewers would tire of seeing these gorgeous birds. I'm thrilled with the pair of Cardinals that visit our backyard; I'd be over the moon if we had even half that many in our yard!
I don't know how I missed this post! I love the title, perfect! It must be fun to watch these guys.
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