By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
Northern Cardinals are associated with a great deal of folklore and spiritual beliefs. For some, a cardinal’s appearance is a reminder of a loved one who has passed away. As a popular phrase says, “When cardinals appear, angels are near.”
Cardinal males are bright red. The females are brown with red highlights here and there. Since cardinals don’t migrate, they are a common sight at Lake Panorama year-round.
Scott and Trish Hart live fulltime in their Lake Panorama home. The couple keeps a variety of bird feeders filled throughout the year. Trish, a photographer who specializes in nature scenes, enjoys snapping photos of birds on or near their feeders.
Nearly any type of bird feeder and feed will attract Northern Cardinals, although sunflower seeds seem to be a favorite.
“We provide seed blends with blackoil sunflower seeds to attract cardinals, but they also enjoy most fruit and nut blended seed varieties,” Trish Hart says.
Only a few female North American songbirds sing, but the female cardinal does, and often while sitting on the nest. This may give the male information about when to bring food to the nest. Cardinals are monogamous, with pairs staying together forever. Unless one dies, then the survivor quickly finds a new partner.
Hart offers custom prints of her photos on canvas, paper, metal and glass. Learn more by visiting Nature’s Canvas Photography on Facebook.