This one was particularly brave. By the time I was thirty five yards away, all its other friends had taken flight. This one hung on to see what happens. After taking the shot, of course I retreated to my coffee. It kept on pecking at the seeds…

Sitting in the patio, sipping some hot coffee, on this cool and rainy morning, it was a sheer pleasure watching all the cardinal couples flying around from branch to branch and the bird feeders. This particular one was sitting in the wet branch about ten yards away from me.

That got me wondering whether there is a reason we call this pretty red bird a cardinal. This is what I found – and this goes back to the days when the European settlers came to this country. This bright colored bird was new to them and it apparently reminded them of the bright red robes worn by Catholic Cardinals back home when they performed their religious duties. Further, the pronounced plumage on the head reminded them of the high headgear worn by the same Cardinals.

And that is how they named this bird a cardinal … and it has stuck…

The cardinal was mighty suspicious of the spotted towhee that landed too close to its nest for its comfort.
The picture was taken with a DSLR from about fifteen yards away. The light was poor (only some sunset rays trickling in thru the forests) and I had to deal with the fact that the shot had to be taken thru two upright bars of the patio (you can see the white blur on either side). I dared not stand up to get a better shot lest the birds fly away…

This cardinal is looking for some last crumbs of the day as the sun sets lazily…