This audio story is brought to you by BirdNote, a partner of the National Audubon Society. BirdNote episodes air daily on public radio stations nationwide. https://nas-national-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/200623-whats-behind-those-lustrous-red-feathers_tc.mp3 Transcript: This is BirdNote. Male Northern Cardinals, Scarlet Tanagers, and House Finches all have striking red plumage that’s thought to play a role in attracting mates. To develop red feathers, […]
Tag: Northern Cardinal
In Quarantine, I Finally Understood the Magic of Birds
The cardinal was my gateway bird. Eight weeks ago, and newly quarantined at my in-laws, I joined my husband and five-year-old son at a nature preserve. They’d come for birds, equipped with binoculars and cameras; I’d just wanted out of the house. Not long into the walk, the wind picked up and misty rain started […]
Cardinals Doing Fine
Northern cardinals nest in the garden behind my condo every year; it’s a good spot for them with trees, water, and food. They stop by my porchoccasionally and I give them snacks of raisins and peanuts. For the past few days the female pictured above has been going out of her way to make sure […]
A Bird Sanctuary In Killingworth, CT Pt. IV
Young birds became a rewarding event at Casa Almeida in Killingworth, Connecticut, in the 2017 summer season. On the eve of the parade to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the naming of the town of Killingworth, CT, flags drape the utility poles around the center of town. Many are at half-mast at municipal buildings […]
A Bird Sanctuary In Killingworth, CT Pt. III
The transition from one season to the next at the Bird Sanctuary in Killingworth, Connecticut, might be as evident due to changes in the weather as to changes in wildlife seen and its behavior. The calls of peepers are a distant memory as a very infrequent croaking of a frog is heard in the early […]
A Bird Sanctuary In Killingworth, CT Pt. II
It was fairly quickly learned that the feeders used to attract wildlife didn’t entice just the birds. In mid-winter as the squirrels appeared to become more numerous, they became destructive and a disturbance to the winged creatures. Eastern Bluebirds briefly investigated a pair of bird houses that had been hung for them but the squirrels […]
15,354 Days and Counting
As of today, the Ides of March 2017, I saw my first Black-capped Chickadee 15,354 days ago. I’ve seen more than one chickadee on most of those days and over 200 in a single day on a few Christmas Bird Counts. I’m sure I haven’t seen an average of 65 chickadees a day over that […]
Spring Birds in Winter
Remember the polar vortex winter we had last year? This robin came to my window every cold morning of it with his feathers so puffed up he looked downright chubby. I fed him raisins for breakfast straight through until spring. He’s back! He (or so…