Cardinals Eating Apples and the Blind Goes Up
I set my photography blind up in my yard yesterday. The arrival of Juncos prompted me to do it. I am drawn to those beautiful little gray…
I set my photography blind up in my yard yesterday. The arrival of Juncos prompted me to do it. I am drawn to those beautiful little gray birds. When I entered the blind I remembered all of the beautiful encounters I have had in this space. It did not take long for the birds to return. We have a lot of American Goldfinches in our yard now and they were the first to come back. Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, House Sparrows, and Cardinals followed them. They hang back at first feeding on the margins of the prime spots, but eventually on brave birds drops in and then the rest follow. Before you know it there is a goldfinch three feet away eating sunflower seeds.
There is an intimacy in these interactions. You can see subtle body language, a turn and slight flare of the wings that signals aggression. You can also hear very soft calls that the birds make to communicate with their flock. One of the other striking things that you notice is that as the birds like goldfinches get closer to you they get smaller. They are so small and delicate. The White-throated Sparrows are bigger and burlier and they throw their weight around scattering the smaller birds. All of them are nervous and on alert, but there are moments of relative peace and quiet. They bath and drink in the nearby pond and occasionally perch on a branch and preen for minutes at a time.
I learned something new sitting in the blind. I was set up near one of my apple trees. I knew birds were eating the apples, but I was not sure who it was. Well, I caught someone in the act. It was a pair of Cardinals. I am glad they appreciate our apples. We have picked around five bushels this year and I left some in the tree for the birds and other wildlife.