May 8, 2016 - Texas - Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinals were one of the most numerous species seen at the Texas photo workshop I attended in February. This male Cardinal landed on a very photogenic piece of wood.

CardinalNorthernmaleLagunaSecaRanchEdinburg20160220

Here’s a female Cardinal. She isn’t quite as flashy as the male but I think her softer colors and red highlights make her a very beautiful bird. Her powerful red beak really stands out as well.

CardinalNorthernfemaleLagunaSecaRanchEdinburg20160219

It can be difficult to get both a male and a female together in one shot but I got lucky this time. Male Cardinals sing year-round but females only sing during courtship.

CardinalNorthernmaleandfemaleLagunaSecaRanchEdinburg20160218

Here is a female Cardinal drinking from a pool of water. It was taken at a shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second. That speed allowed me to capture a stream of water as she lifted her head. Also, look closely at her eye. It’s half covered by her nictitating membrane, a second eyelid that most birds have. It moves vertically across the eye and is somewhat transparent. Birds use this membrane when they need eye protection but still want to see clearly.

CardinalNorthernfemaledrinkingLagunaSecaRanchEdinburg20160217

The Cardinals’ diet is varied but they eat mostly seeds, insects, and berries. Cardinals are permanent residents in almost all of the eastern United States and in southern Arizona. Here in Minnesota, their range has been slowly expanding to the north. They are regularly seen in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, only about 15 miles from our home. We are hoping that they will soon find us and we will be able to count them among our yard birds.

CardinalNorthernfemalewithfoodLagunaSecaRanchEdinburg20160220

The Northern Cardinal is the state bird of seven states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.)

CardinalNorthernmaleLagunaSecaRanchEdinburg20160217

Light can be so important when taking nature photos. We had a situation right before dusk that put the background in shadows but kept a shaft of light illuminating this cactus. The result was a photo that looks like it was taken in a studio with a black curtain in the back and a spotlight on the bird.

CardinalNorthernfemaleLagunaSecaRanchEdinburg20160218

This photo of a male Cardinal, in the light I described above, is one of my favorites from the whole workshop.

I have more Cardinal photos in my “Texas Photography Workshop” gallery. Here's a link to that gallery. When you get there, click on the Cardinal photo. http://www.earlorfphotos.com/Trips/Texas-Photo-Workshop-Feb-2016/n-4pq9dr

CardinalNorthernmaleeatingLagunaSecaRanchEdinburg20160218