They are dressed to kill, those male North American Cardinals. Now that the foliage is ninety-five percent off from the trees, Mr. and Mrs. N.A. Cardinal are highly visible, for almost as far as my eyes can see. If you look out at the woods behind our condo, you will spot bright splashes of red spread here and there, much like you can see planes in the sky as they drop down, in every direction, approaching Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. In my case, the birds are awaiting their turn for a landing at my neighbor's various bird feeders. Their vibrant red has stood out in stark contrast with the defoliated trees but now that there is some snow on the tree branches, the visual effect of red against white is dazzling.
I rarely see my favorite bird in the late spring and summer months. I know they are in close proximity because I can hear their familiar, trademark "speech patterns" when I am outside. Their nearness gives me great pleasure and comfort, but now, to be able to see them and appreciate their spectacular beauty is so gratifying. After opening the blinds this morning and seeing eight to ten males sporting their beautiful feathers, I became curious about other shades of red that might apply to the color of the North American Cardinal. Discovering a color-spectrum guide in Wikipedia - which must make it so - besides the color "red", the only other colors I could ascertain that might come close to what I see in my woods, would be scarlett or vermillion.
Whatever the color, their presence evokes the aural image of the 1976 song, "The Boys Are Back In Town", by the Irish rock band, Thin Lizzy:
(First stanza)
Guess who just got back today?
Those wild-eyed boys that had been away
Haven't changed, haven't much to say
But man, I still think those cats are great.
For the beauty of the earth.........
Ancora imparo
