Chasing a Cardinal

[Jonathan Long]

I've been chasing a cardinal for a few days trying to get a nice picture. We've got 4 males and 3 females that seem to like our backyard. I finally got a reasonable shot this morning!

Jon

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

That's such a nice shot! Thanks for posting it. Also, thanks for all the good information and encouragement you give here on the photography forum. It is appreciated.

[Billie Goodson]

Gee, I was expecting some kind of "Cops" wildest chase video of a baseball/football player. But, this was much more pleasant -- though less entertaining.

Thanks Jonathan!

[Jonathan Long]

Billie,

Now that would have been funny!

I've been sitting and waiting for a few days to ge that shot. The cardinals seem very skittish. That's the closest I've been able to get. I shot it using a 80-200mm f2.8 at the 200mm setting. That shot the bird took off right after the shutter snapped.

It's a giant waiting game for them to come close enough for a good picture. Many times they're closer but well inside of the burning bush...

Jon

[Mike Wooldridge]

I was thinking of the wrong kind of "Cardinal," too. :laughing
http://www.columban.com/cardinal_zen_red_hat.jpg

[Jonathan Long]

I'd post a shot of a "Cardinal" if I had one just for the two of you!

I guess these will have to do...

Jon

[Joel Merrill]

I've got a crab apple tree right outside my window. I often have one or more cardinals sitting in it. The trouble is, I have slim shades in the window and the glass isn't very clean. I also get a blue jay now and then. I have a feeder right outside the kitchen window. Since I live in town I don't get a wide variety of birds but I get a lot of them plus squirrels, rabbits and cats. We have a big red squirrel with a black nose. I call him "Randolph the Black Nosed Squirrel."

Joel

(Hey Scott! We need a smiley face with a camera)

[BobHunt]

what kind of food do these guys eat? I will put up a bird feeder for them! I have a pair of binoculars with a camera in them....

[Jonathan Long]

Bob,

"northern cardinals eat is weed and sunflower seeds, grains, and fruits. They prefer seeds that are easily husked. They also eat some insects and feed their young almost exclusively insects. Northern cardinals are less choosy during winter when food is harder to find".

above copied from:
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Cardinalis_cardinalis/

I had to do a search because I didn't know, we don't feed them...

Jon

[Diane Likens]

what kind of food do these guys eat? I will put up a bird feeder for them! I have a pair of binoculars with a camera in them....

Around our house, the cardinals simply CANNOT resist black oil sunflower seeds. We fill a flat, open tray with the seeds and within a few hours we have nothing but shells on the deck.

BTW, these are my FAVE birds. When we first moved here to northeast Georgia, we were greeted by a pair who built a nest in our boxwoods at the end of the house. I felt SOOO welcomed!

[Joel Merrill]

Around our house, the cardinals simply CANNOT resist black oil sunflower seeds. We fill a flat, open tray with the seeds and within a few hours we have nothing but shells on the deck.

BTW, these are my FAVE birds. When we first moved here to northeast Georgia, we were greeted by a pair who built a nest in our boxwoods at the end of the house. I felt SOOO welcomed!

I have to vote for Black Oil Sunflower seeds too. The birds seem to prefer them and they attract a wide variety of birds. I've been told that they give birds lots on energy that they need when it is cold. I've tried bird seed mixes and the birds dig through it looking for sunflower seeds and the rest winds up on the ground. The shells make a big mess but they aren't hard to clean up. I have my feeder squirrel proof but the squirrels eat the seeds the birds kick out so the seeds don't go to waste. Snowbirds and mourning doves seem to like to eat off the ground rather than from a feeder. You can buy seeds that are already shelled but they are pretty expensive. If you have a grain elevator or feed store in town, you can usually buy seeds cheaper there. I buy a 50 lb bag at a time and store them in a steel garbage can so the mice can't get to them.

Joel