When did you take this photo?
January 12th, 2011
Where did you take this photo?
This bird was in my backyard in Church Hill, Tennessee. We've had a lot of cardinals this winter, and they are wonderful to watch. The backyard is bordered by a wooded lot, and the cardinals (and other birds, of course) love to sit back there while they wait their turn at the feeders.
How do you attract northern cardinals to your backyard?
We were fortunate enough to have a pair of cardinals raising their family in our yard this year. I thought at first that most of these cardinals just stayed for the winter, but we have way too many now for those to be the only birds we host. In the front of the house is our main feeding station with a pole setup. I holds a seed feeder, a suet feeder, a tray feeder, and a thistle (Nyjer) feeder. Also, there is a larger suet feeder and three ground feeding stations set up in other spots of the yard. (The ground feeders have mixed seed and cracked corn.) In the backyard, we have a thistle feeder and a large seed block (the kind advertised as woodpecker blend - the cardinals LOVE that one!)
Tips and Tricks
- I've had the best luck so far with getting pictures of birds who are visiting the back deck feeders. Not only are they closer, but I can sit inside the window and snap pictures without spooking the birds. This means that you get a lot more time to set up the shot, and if you are lucky, they may even give you several poses before they move on.
Melissa Mayntz, Birding / Wild Birds Guide, says:
Obviously, having a good source of food - in this case, many sources! - is essential to attract such beautiful backyard birds. If you need some pointers for your first feeders, check out these tips for Getting Started Feeding Birds. Cardinals will especially appreciate black oil sunflower seeds, safflower seeds and mixed seed.
See the complete northern cardinal profile.
