This is one smart Cardinal.
For several months now, a person whose residence shares my backyard has not put food in his bird feeders. I've missed seeing the multitude of birds that would normally be frequenting these feeders, especially the Northern Cardinals, whose brilliant red feathers are a dazzling contrast to winter's white shroud. When the feeders stay empty for a protracted amount of time, the birds move elsewhere, finding new gathering places to fill their tiny bellies. The trees have been bare without the yellows, reds, blues, grays and combinations of those same colored feathers.
I wondered why the feeders stayed empty. Is my neighbor ill? I don't think so because I see him coming and going on an almost daily basis. Has the tanking economy forced him to cut back spending? Did he get frustrated with the squirrels that can empty bird feeders with lightning speed? I know this man is a bird lover so the absence of bird feed intrigued me a great deal.
Just a day or two ago, in the morning, I happened to glance out into our adjoining backyards and observed that two of the four feeders had food in them. Since there were no feathered-friends about, I gave no further notice. Later that same day, I sat down to crack open a book in a chair that overlooks the backyard. My eyes immediately zoomed in on the small, brilliant red mass flitting about in the tree branches. A lone, male, Northern Cardinal moved from perch to perch, sometimes staying in one spot for a number of minutes. He didn't move to the feeder, rather scoped it out, from different directions and vantage points. I watched this bird for over an hour toward the end of the day. Finally, just as the sun would begin to slip away, he began to feed. No other birds joined him - his mate not making an appearance. Nor did he have any 'friends' sharing his food fest.
Today there has been one Northern Cardinal camped out, enjoying the fruits of his discovery. I wonder when his 'friends' will come a-calling? I look forward to being able to observe multiple pairs of Northern Cardinals, taking turns at the feeders, sharing their food without any noticeable discord. We humans could take lessons from our fine-feathered friends.
Just how did he know the food was back?
Ancora imparo
