When did you take this photo?
March 1, 2009
Where did you take this photo?
Salineno, Texas
How do you attract northern cardinals to your backyard?
Guide Tips for Attracting Northern Cardinals:
- Provide ample food including black oil sunflower seeds, nuts and cracked corn, preferably in open tray or ground feeders.
- Have a bird bath available for drinking and bathing.
- Provide ample shrubby cover and hardwood trees (northern cardinals are shy birds).
Tips and Tricks
- Male cardinals are tricky to photograph, since it's hard to get a sharp focus on their solid red bodies. I don't have a trick for that; I just take as many photos as I can and hope I get lucky.
Melissa Mayntz, Birding / Wild Birds Guide, says:
One of the most rewarding things about northern cardinals is that they're such loyal birds, and will often appear in backyards and at feeders in pairs. If you've seen the bright crimson plumage of the male, just watch in the thicker brush and sheltered areas, and you may be rewarded with the more subtle tawny red plumage of the female.
See the complete northern cardinal profile.
