We have several juvenile Northern Cardinals hanging out this fall at our backyard feeders! They’re very entertaining trying to get their turn at the seed feeders – mainly the sunflower seed tray. They hiss like a snake at smaller birds that try to cut in, but peep loud and fly off when a bigger or more dominant bird comes crashing in!
Juvenile Northern Cardinal peaking in through the window at me 20160930-3
Juvenile Northern Cardinal showing its crest on a branch 20160930-6
Juvenile Cardinal calling from a branch before it lands on the seed tray 20160930-4
Juvenile Cardinal on a branch with its dark beak and crest down 20160930-5
Male adult Northern Cardinal on the sunflower seed tray 20160930-7
Juvenile Cardinal on branch, note the gray-black beak 20160930-8
Female adult Northern Cardinal on the sunflower seed tray, note the colored beak 20160930-9
Sometimes it is easy to tell the difference between a smaller Downy and larger Hairy Woodpecker but here are some woodpecker pictures showing how to tell the difference easily between the two woodpeckers without going just by size.
It’s interesting that almost every evening the last birds to show up outside at our backyard feeders are the Northern Cardinals. They come in to the sunflower and safflower feeders chipping away loudly so you can’t miss that they are there!
I keep watching the vast array of House Finches looking for a Purple Finch among them to no avail so far. But some of the male House Finches are somewhat beautiful though common as House Sparrows