Cardinalis-cardinalis

witness f l i g h t of fledglings documenting their survival- Duluth Minnesota US June 2000

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leaps to flat tray below...

Crows certaintly have obverved the comings and goings of these cardinals returning via various routes when homing-in from the feeders nearby to their nest. One can speculate that the crow has not excluded cardinal young from its agressive predatory results in the past and I hope these htachling cardinals will be lucky. Also, I have not observed any hawks in the area.

the observed chipmonk fills its jowls

This is an example of the trees, foilage and underbrush these birds negotiate over and through to arriving at their nest. It is located 25 feet slightly below and beyond this vantage and in thicker brush.

In some of these photographs you no doubt noticed the removed squirrel guard from the tray feeder; on this day both appeared seperately at the back porch and each selected a different feeder

(1 ). June 12, 13 2000 Parents continue their routine feeding.

some back porch feeders

this wider & deeper tray is a detail of the center porch railing above in the hopes that two or more adults and/or juveniles will visit

This detail from a back porch tray with squirrel guard (above photograph bottom left) is among the complex of feeder offerings.

June 10 2000 I elected to forego taking photographs of the location where these wintering-over and regular visitors to 2909 are nesting for the second time. (Four years ago the merlin harrased the female while she was constructing a nest and never return to the site opposite an apple tree.) Feeding an unknown brood number, the cardinals seen on this page have, in the last two weeks, narrowed down their feeding sources nearest to those locations around 29th and Jefferson and thus to their nest. Whether they've been seeking insects in the grass or seeds from neighborhood feeders, both parents have employed various routes to their nestlings. As examples of their distinctly seperate tracery paths from a food source, the flight would turn north and then east, while another would wend its way east, then northward to the nest. An urgency is what I'd say in describing their nearly always 8-15 feet above ground flights between feedings and their neighborhood sources. I did come within 20 feet of their nest and because of the very dense vegitation and brush I stopped short of blazing a path. Its been particularly devistating for grackels and other birds because of the crows. And during my taking of these photographs the familiar cacaphony of frustration and despair could also be heard from the birds and bird lovers all around Duluth.

 

June 14 2000 The male cardinal alternates between the arborvite and back porch feeders and the female visits the back porch sometimes with the catbirds, humming birds, five red breasted nuthatch fledglings w/a single parent, chicadee, chipping sparrow and chipmonk. All spend part of the day at adjoining neighborhood feeders.

 

Below, an example of a single of the five maturing russian mulberry trees and this one is now developing its fruit...'twas at this spot where I witnessed the male flying over it (and me) in his to and fro circuit from the feeders. (His overflight was like a laser shot headed from s.w. to the n.e. nest beyond this tree) (BTW, Koni Sundquist was promised some ripe berries.)

a miss kim lilac standard (w/buds) is in the background

A Rufous sided towhee (l) busy jumping and scratching the ground and a curled up dove (r) both appear to be camoflagued beneath these arborvite during this foggy cold day. (I did not do a white balance in camera-which explains the washed-out appearance and the snowy and unatural colorings. The towhee has not been seen since its 3 day stay here.) The bird was quite aggresive approaching a nearby chipping sparrow as they both took flight with the latter fleeing.

song sparrow feeds from tray for its young and the catbirds enjoy their jelly