For the past two days, this handsome devil has been perched in the cedar tree in my yard singing his little heart out. While "Old Man Winter" has yet to decide whether he plans to stay or go, this colorful crooner has already set his sights on Spring and the female he was pursuing at the feeder. The courtship ritual of cardinals can be quite entertaining...especially if there is more than one suitor involved.
Cardinals are quite easy to attract, especially when offered their favorite seeds (black oil sunflower and safflower). They are most comfortable visiting a hopper-type feeder, or in my case, a fly-thru platform feeder. If you don't already have a feeder in place, I highly recommend it. Male cardinals have a very endearing mating technique of feeding seed to his potential mate. If he is successful, he will continue this activity throughout the nesting and incubation process. While the cardinal is already one of my favorites, this TLC shown by the male to his mate makes him even more attractive!
The link below provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology provides additional information on the song of the Northern Cardinal.
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