topic Re: Female Cardinals in Garden

Female Cardinals

Harpa — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 14:18:58 GMT

She is just so beautiful with her soft coloring! I love her beakstick (lipstick) shade! I need a shade just like that!

(Maybe I should ask in Beauty!)

Re: Female Cardinals

meallen616 — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 14:29:29 GMT

I agree, so pretty,

Re: Female Cardinals

Gardengal55 — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 14:31:28 GMT

I usually have many cardinals at my feeders.. One day I counted 8 females with one brilliant red male--maybe his harem? They were basically the same color but all somewhat different. Even the beaks were different hues. There are many shades in nature that can not be duplicated by man that I'd love to have in a dress or even lipstick like you say.

Re: Female Cardinals

ValuSkr — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 15:06:39 GMT

When I see a male cardinal - for example, at the feeder or bath - I can usually find a female nearby. And vice versa. They must hang out together. And I agree about her coloring - it's beautiful. Like a mustard, but more buff.

Re: Female Cardinals

Lilysmom — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 15:11:12 GMT

@Harpa et al, aren't they beautiful? I just finished painting some concrete figures for the garden. One a cardinal, one a gold finch and one a chickadee. Can't you tell I'm just dying to get out there? It will be another month before we can do anything. LM

Re: Female Cardinals

jlkz — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 15:15:14 GMT

Seeing the posted picture of the cardinal couple reminded me of one of the saddest scenes.

A female Cardinal must have flown through our maple tree and into the window behind it. She fell to the ground. Moments later her mate arrived and tried to revive her by moving her body with his beak...to no avail. He kept hopping around the body and looked so forlorn. When he flew away, we removed the body. So sad......

Sorry if I took the post on colors off track.........

Re: Female Cardinals

StylishLady — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 15:23:14 GMT

We have a mate pair that come to our feeders. The male is so gorgeous, especially in the sun. I believe they mate for life. A sad story indeed. We also have painted buntings during winter. The males are the most colorful of our song birds.

Re: Female Cardinals

Harpa — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 15:47:02 GMT

@jlkz

Oh, that is so sad!

Last week when we had all the snow, it was a banner day for cardinals! I think I lost count as males & females were hanging around taking their turns at the feeder.

They are always like that, as well as other birdies -- titmice, chicadees, woodpeckers, even the blue jays -- taking turns at the feeder.

I think I got my wish about the lipstick shade. (Almost!) I just got Bobbi Brown's Calypso Coral pot rouge!

Re: Female Cardinals

JustJazzmom — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 16:38:32 GMT

We had the bird version of Grand Central Station the day of the Blizsard at our feeders. The female cardinals look like an olive red to me and the males mostly are red. The more immature adults do not have as high a crest on their heads as older adults and in some cases sport lighter red or partial red feathers on the males. I imagine it's the same for the females but less visible due to the contrast better seen on male cardinals.

Even the goldfinches are a soft brown/yellow at this time. Males and females look pretty much the same about now and pretty soon the bright yellow feathers of the males will return soon. They also have such a sweet song, I recognize it when I am outside or if indoors with the windows open. One of my favorite songbirds.

Re: Female Cardinals

wildcat fan — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 20:15:46 GMT

I've spent quite a bit of time on the back porch today, and it was so nice to see so many Cardinals and Eastern Bluebirds, but they were mostly males. Such beautiful vibrant colors!

Re: Female Cardinals

Harpa — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 12:15:01 GMT

@wildcat fan

Yes, those vibrant colors!

What strikes me is that they never have to change their feathers, like we change our clothes & colors, and they always look perfect!

Have you ever seen an Indigo Bunting?! I used to get them at the double-decker bird feeder my DH built in our backyard.

We do get Eastern Bluebirds all around us. They are so pretty, too!

Re: Female Cardinals

wildcat fan — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 16:03:26 GMT

@Harpa I've only seen indigo bunting in pictures. I wish I could have seen them up close like you! My next door neighbors have put up a feeder near our property line, and I look forward to seeing what it attracts this spring and summer. 😊

Re: Female Cardinals

Lilysmom — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 18:30:07 GMT

@Harpa @wildcat fan, one winter a few years ago I was sitting in my living room which overlooks my backyard. I looked out and saw something bright blue in color. I thought it was a rag ... then it moved. I went down to the den to check it out and got some photos. I had no idea what kind of bird it was as I had never seen one before. Posting on our local garden site, it was identified as an indigo bunting. What a striking color. We are at the northern extent of their range. We feed the birds in winter and he must have seen others feeding. He stayed a day or so and was gone.

We don't often get cardinals here but they occur in our Annapolis Valley which is a warmer part of the Province. It was such a treat to see them.

I do miss watching the osprey fish on the salt water but I still prefer the lake for swimming. Much warmer. LM

Re: Female Cardinals

JustJazzmom — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 18:51:18 GMT

@Lilysmom

Your juncos migrate to our area in the winter and then go back home to Canada once our weather warms up.

Re: Female Cardinals

Kachina624 — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 22:43:22 GMT

You are all so fortunate to have such nice colorful birds. We have very few and sadly, no cardinals which is my favorite bird. We do have roadrunners which I bet most of you don't have. I don't like them because they eat the babies of other species. They seem to be mostly carnivorous, living on lizards, small snakes, bugs, etc. Some people feed them hamburger meat and they peck on patio doors asking for snacks.

Re: Female Cardinals

jlkz — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 15:51:13 GMT

@Harpa

Yes I have seen just one Indigo Bunting in my life.

I was standing at the front window in late afternoon sunlight and saw this gorgeously colored teal / blue green / black bird. Called my birder friend who told me what I was seeing. Rare for here. Magnificent colors !!!!!!

Re: Female Cardinals

ValuSkr — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 15:55:53 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
You are all so fortunate to have such nice colorful birds. We have very few and sadly, no cardinals which is my favorite bird. We do have roadrunners which I bet most of you don't have. I don't like them because they eat the babies of other species. They seem to be mostly carnivorous, living on lizards, small snakes, bugs, etc. Some people feed them hamburger meat and they peck on patio doors asking for snacks.

@Kachina624 Do you have a greater variety of hummingbirds? Here in the East, we have just the Ruby-Throated.

Re: Female Cardinals

Dazlin — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 22:52:25 GMT

I always see a male cardinal with a female, here in my feeder. I have it right out my back sliders. Every morning, I get to enjoy them while I have my coffee. Right now, I'm getting little Finches, and Doves too. Cardinals are always here...the male...then comes the female...all day. Just beautiful!!

Re: Female Cardinals

Kachina624 — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 01:40:55 GMT

@ValuSkr wrote:
@Kachina624 wrote:
You are all so fortunate to have such nice colorful birds. We have very few and sadly, no cardinals which is my favorite bird. We do have roadrunners which I bet most of you don't have. I don't like them because they eat the babies of other species. They seem to be mostly carnivorous, living on lizards, small snakes, bugs, etc. Some people feed them hamburger meat and they peck on patio doors asking for snacks.
@Kachina624 Do you have a greater variety of hummingbirds? Here in the East, we have just the Ruby-Throated.

@ValuSkr The only hummers I get are Anna's and later on the Rufus. We don't have the Ruby Throat. When you get really up high in the mountains, the hummers are thick. I've seen 15-20 around one feeder. Then WWIII breaks out. I think it's all the wildflowers that attract them.

Re: Female Cardinals

hayseed00 — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 22:40:18 GMT

It was a bleak, rainey day here today in WNY, so my husband and I took a car ride over to an Amish community near us to buy some horseshoes for our draft horses. While I was waiting for my husband to come out from the Amish blacksmith I looked over to their bird feeder and there was at least twenty Cardinals, it was the most heartwarming beautiful thing I've seen in a long time. What a great day to see such a wonderful site.