I like Cardinals but they are kinda dumb....when I put out foodscraps the other birds in the area flys in and feasts but the Cardinals come down and just stand around,they rarely eat anything.....not very adaptable to different foods I guess.
Birding!
- Thread starter jjohnwm
- Start date
Well...it ain't food scraps...
If you try sunflower seeds, you'll likely find that cardinals are one of the earliest birds to show up in the morning, and one of the latest to leave at dusk.
The cardinals near me keep stealing all my blueberries in the spring and summer; not as if I really do anything to stop them, though.
They also seem to have an unusual liking for old bird pellets (bird food, not pelleted birds) I toss out every now and then. I think they eat whatever berries and seeds they find.
The reason for my question...
I'm well aware of what Spellman would eat around the house. Named after Francis Joseph Spellman, an American prelate of the Catholic Church (New York), he had free reign whenever I was home.
Two of his favorites were African violet (stems and leaves) and Ceratopteris cornuta, Indian Water fern. He would fly over to an aquarium and pull the plants out of the water and eat them.
In both cases he liked the snap. Down the stems he'd go,
snap-snap-snap-snap...
Often he'd land on the table and hop over to my plate to help himself to whatever he liked.
I'm not surprised at all to hear of them eating blueberries. Squishy juicy snappy little treats that they are. I've also seen them attack snap peas in the garden.
I'm well aware of what Spellman would eat around the house. Named after Francis Joseph Spellman, an American prelate of the Catholic Church (New York), he had free reign whenever I was home.
Two of his favorites were African violet (stems and leaves) and Ceratopteris cornuta, Indian Water fern. He would fly over to an aquarium and pull the plants out of the water and eat them.
In both cases he liked the snap. Down the stems he'd go,
snap-snap-snap-snap...
Often he'd land on the table and hop over to my plate to help himself to whatever he liked.
I'm not surprised at all to hear of them eating blueberries. Squishy juicy snappy little treats that they are. I've also seen them attack snap peas in the garden.
Thats cool!I saw Leconte's in 1998, following a local to a spot not far from Yuma. Our local friend took us to the site where he had observed the birds on several occasions; we spent the day alternating between loving the desert and hating it. We saw definitely two, and perhaps three, of the Thrashers, using a long-dead cow skeleton as a landmark while we staggered around in the heat. The species was a bit of a toughie even then, but I'm certain that it's much more elusive today...or maybe today's new birders are just wusses?
The museum my mom works for is doing LeConte’s Thrasher population and habitat surveys, and it ain’t looking good. Quite the treat to see one, even in its significantly reduced range
Another small bird with a penchant for greenery is the American Goldfinch. In the Spring they raid my garden looking for beet seedlings. So small plants must be protected. Later the leaves show serrated edges from all the bite marks. This is one reason to plant beets.
No indeed lol....and I went the sunflower seeds route before and the damned squirrels went nuts and chased the birds off before eventually destroying the feeder.
That's awesome . I've always wanted to see an owl in the wild and seeing a koala would be quite nice as well.....got to get to Australia some day!
