ON THE WING
by Jill Dinsmore
The Land of Nursery Rhymes
February brings the rain
Thaws the frozen lake again
February - Valentine's Month - Think Red
"CARDINAL"
How many of us have looked outside on a snowy morning to see this bright
red bird at our feeder. Its rich coloring and its willingness to come to
our feeders have made it a favorite among bird watchers. Such a
favorite, it is the State Bird in seven states, including Indiana.
Have you not
noticed that we are now waking up to its song of wheet, wheet, chew,
chew, cheedle, cheedle. The Cardinal is the only red bird with a crest
which can be found from the plains of the mid west to New York, into
Canada in the Lake Erie area as well as Minnesota and South Dakota. This
hardy bird, stays here all year long, feeding from our backyard
feeders, usually very early mornings and at dusk. Berries and fruit are
very important to over wintering, so please consider native trees and
shrubs. Dogwood, hackberry, hawthorn, holly, verbena, mountain ash,
bayberry, are all desirable and when established they require little
care. Cardinals will also eat insects.
The male Cardinal is entirely red, except for a distinctive black face mask. He will defend his territory with great fierceness and can often be seen fighting his own reflection in a car mirror. The female is crayon tan with some red on the wing and tail feathers. A mating pair’s nest is an open bowl of twigs and weed stems filled with leaves and grapevine bark and lined with grass. Sometimes they use paper and plastic on the outer layer and the nest are usually found in small shrubs or trees. A clutch usually has three buff white eggs with brown spots. The female will sing while incubating the eggs in the nest, telling the male when to bring food to the nest!
