Adolescent cardinals

[SheltieLover]

I am really enjoying watching the development and interactions of a cardinal family who continue to grace my seed feeder with their amazing presence!

I was, at first, amazed to see the chicks, about 1/2 the size of mom, perched near the feeder & mom was delivering seed to each one. As she fed each one, the chick would flutter the tops of its wings rapidly.

I was initially puzzled by this,, but research online confirms what I've seen numerous times. I was puzzled because the chicks were able to fly, yet mom was still feeding them.

I glanced out the window a couple of days ago & thought I spotted a new variety of visitors: a smallish bird with blotches of reddish feathers on its breast. But, upon closer observation, I realized this is a teen age cardinal!

I guess their kids go through stages like our own 2-footers during growth.

They are gorgeous and I continue to be constantly amazed at the diversity, efficiency, and great beauty of our planetary neighbors. The great wisdom of Nature.

[flamin lib]

1. Yes! Birds do progress in stages and the parents have to teach them

survival techniques. I've watched adult ladder back woodpeckers teach adolescents where and how to peck at bark to find insects. First they find the food while chick watches and delivers the food to them. Next the adult pecks at the tree to uncover the food and then moves aside to let the chick pick it up themselves. It's fascinating!

[SheltieLover]

2. Thx for sharing!

Nature never ceases to amaze me!

[CrispyQ]

3. We don't have cardinals where I live,

but I'll never forget when I travelled out east & saw my first one! Saw my first fireflies on that trip, too.

[SheltieLover]

4. Which birds do you have?

The male Cardinals are really jumpy and fearful. Moms are watchful, too, of course, but the males are really jittery. Poor things.

Awesome that you have gotten to see cardinals & fireflies! Fireflies used to be everywhere years ago. Now not so much. 😏

[CrispyQ]

5. I live near Denver.

We get blue jays, crows, magpies, morning doves, grackles, chickadees, a ton of small birds, and an occasional woodpecker in our backyard. Blue jay is the most colorful. In 2004 we had a West Nile outbreak that decimated the corvid population. We went almost a decade without any jays, crows, or magpies. They have slowly returned, the jays first, the crows second, & finally we've seen some magpies the past few years.

[SheltieLover]

6. Sorry to hear about the west nile issue!

Glad they are coming back, though.

Blue jays are quite the characters.

I saw a Blue bird, a real one! A ciuple of weeks ago, sitting on my mailbox. It was around for a couple of days, flitting about, but I hVen't seen it since. Stunningly gorgeous! 😍

[GentryDixon]

7. I love the way the babies flutter their wings when being fed. ♥️♥️

[SheltieLover]

8. Me too! 😍

I feel really fortunate to be privy to their upbringing!