Saturday, May 24, 2008

Northern Cardinal

Sorry about the tail amputation! Familiar to most in the eastern half of the US, it's hard to beat them for beauty. He is the state bird of VA plus six other states. I find them hard to photograph as they are wary and skittish for small song birds. Pairs generally mate for life. For some reason, my camera over saturates the brilliant red of the male in some photos. The female, not near as showy as her husband, still has a beauty all her own. They are especially gorgeous with a snowy background.
Even lady Cardinals have bad hair days!

The morning after an ice storm just as the sun broke thru and the ice began to drip. He appeared almost translucent as he perched on an icy branch

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