I don’t know where they go at the end of summer but they always disappear late summer then reappear for the winter and spring when they nest in the high trees.
I sometimes wonder if they are escorting their teenagers off the property. Though that feels a wee bit Grimm – a tad Hansel and Gretel!
The Fellowship Forest is heaving with feed for birds in the winter yet these two birds seem bent on stealing cat food straight out of the cat food tray. The cardinals get very close to the house and when they clean up what the cats leave in their bowl – with the cats napping close by, it terrifies me. Maybe they have some kind of deal going on.
I only ever see one pair. Male and female. I never see their children. Cardinals are very territorial, I think. They certainly spend a lot of time chasing sparrows away from their food.
They are lifetime mates and do not migrate so they are company when I am writing in the winter. They will eat peanuts too but these toasted peanuts are all mine! I saved a few raw ones for the birds but Mr Flowers ate them.
It is lovely to have the birds where I can see them from my studio.
And pigs of course! I can see these two out in the fields, too.
Sunday Substack is up!
Subscribe if you would like one of these letters in your inbox each Sunday. (And upgrade if you would like to support my writing and join TKG Take Ten short vids each week-day)
This is the first of the Christmas Day trilogy. Each story is a decade apart. And though they take hours each to write I am loving the work.
Letter from The Kitchens Garden on Sustainable Sunday. Part One.
I have had a really good writing rhythm going this last week. Mainly because my MiL is still in Missouri with another daughter in law who is feeding her up!!
This week we start a swarm of appointments for another member of the family: to get Him Indoors back on his feet. Nothing worrying just a life well lived. Not sure of dates yet of course. But soon I think.
For the moment it is cold in the nights and still way above freezing in the day times. Which makes my work outside so much nicer.
Have a gorgeous day!
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
17 responses to “The Cardinals have Come Back”
I can see a pair of theiving magpies, who leave my vegetables alone …unlike the flea beetles which are enjoying the red cabbage and cauliflowers.
Oh no. Flea beetles – I have not heard of those but they do not sound nice! Do you have diatomaceous earth over there? for dusting?
They are tiny insidious creatures that love to eat brassicas. I have dusted with diatomaceous earth and am waiting for a few dry days to dust again. In spring I will get some nematodes and ladybird larvae 😉 At least they don’t like garlic and onions and I’m hoping they will leave the broad beans alone…
Yes! The birds love our cat food too!!! I have bird feeders out for them, but they much prefer the dry cat food! I must remember to take the cat food in after the 3 of them eat in the mornings so the birds don’t quickly finish it off!
When John had the big dog the starlings would eat his dog food after he was done. The food was multi coloured but they never ate the blue coloured kibbles -(I think it was the blue – may have been red) these were always left in the bowl – along with the brocolli that Big Dog and the Starlings both refused to eat. Of course this was all before Tima – no bowl is left unturned by Tima!
We also experience the same Cardinal mystery every fall way over here in NH. I smiled at the thought of them escorting their teenagers away from the home grounds and buffet. Something we’ve all had to do eventually with our young-uns.
Packing them up and sending them off to the Pope for Cardinal college! (not much of a joke but made me smile!!). (I’ll get my coat).🙃
I wish we had cardinals here but sadly they don’t seem to like this corner of the USA. Our crows and scrub Jays are the thieves here. They will eat whatever they can find. Best to you and the local farmer in getting back to speed before spring chores need to happen 🙂
I know – it has been a hard pull so far.
We don’t get those lovely birds here. I wish we did.
They are so startling in colour but the only colourful birds that hang about here on the prairies. One thing I look forward to – going home is Taking Ten with the big NZ birds. Those are going to be amazing little vids – but no hope of going anywhere for a bit.
It’s always exciting when these beauties return!
And they are both fat!
I love the cardinals. We’re lucky because they stay here all year round. They’re a bright spot in the dreary winter!
The cardinals are off making sure their offspring can manage on their own and teaching them what’s good to eat. They would let the youngsters stick around through winter when I was in Chicago. (The young ones look like mom but have black beaks.) They are also molting and more vulnerable with the loss of feathers so more inclined to hide away till they’re done and rest after all the exertion of raising their brood. Cardinals are still spreading across the U. S. – originally a more tropical/semi-tropical bird that adapts well to colder climates and has been spread across the country for a long time. Our resident pair here in north central Indiana didn’t disappear. They did look very scruffy while molting and the youngsters show up occasionally. We used to put out safflower seed just for the cardinals because non of the other birds would touch it. Their favorite was sunflower seeds, the big ones and they love suet and peanut butter.
I have never even seen a baby cardinal. Thankfully. Because if I see it, so will the cats. I might look out for those safflower seeds, though, I quite like feeding the cardinals, though there’s lots of bird feed down the back of the trees. Thank you for the lesson. Much appreciated!
Cardinals are bright enough to be one of the gaudy Australian birds! Beautiful, and so striking against winter landscape.