Signs
of spring... Chris Emmons of Gray found this little
Frog guy hiding in the garden hose. The picture of
the cardinals was taken through a closed window and
screen. They are quite an affectionate pair.
Cardinal "Mate Feeding"
The male picks up a seed, hops over to the female,
and the two momentarily touch beaks as she takes the
food. Mate-feeding continues through the egg-laying
and incubation phases of breeding. Mating season is
Spring and summer and Cardinals usually nest 2 or
3 times a year.
The cardinal's song is usually a repetition of short
whistled phrases for example: "What-cheer-cheer-cheer."
or "Who-it, who-it, who-it."
Cardinals can be found singing near the top of the
tallest tree in their area.
The cardinal is monogamous. The male and female work
together to rear their young. Females take responsibility
for incubating the eggs and the male brings food to
his mate while she incubates and he also feeds the
young after hatching since the female is often incubating
another clutch of eggs. The male cares for the youngsters
after they leave the nest for about three weeks. Young
cardinals can fly at nine to ten days of age.
