NORTH CAROLINA’S STATE BIRD!

Cardinals are the North Carolina state bird and are a very familiar favorite of many. The male cardinal in all his red glory is very easy to recognize and always a treat to see. The female is just as pretty, but her coloring is more muted with brown tones accompanied  by red tinges on her wings, crest and tail. These birds are not migratory which can be to your advantage! If you offer them some food and water you just may get to see them long-term!

 

We have a regular family of cardinals that grace our presence daily. They are the first ones to show up in the morning and the last ones to leave in the evening, flying around vigorously visiting all their favorite dinner spots. Although they will use the hanging hopper feeders, I have found they their favorite ways to feed are in the ground feeding trays that are elevated a couple inches off the ground, as well as on the ground itself.

Each day I load up a supply of seed and distribute it in the morning around 7 am. I also go back out at lunch and replenish what looks low.  The cardinals mainly feed on seeds and fruit and so I put out safflower, shelled sunflowers, and black oil sunflowers. I noticed that they gravitated towards the shelled sunflower, however; I started to put out peanuts to see which birds would eat them and found that the cardinals are among those that prefer the peanuts. I keep my seed well stocked but anytime I put out the peanuts, that is their first choice. I guess it’s more bang for their buck!

 

We have pine trees that have become the home of the cardinals we know and love. During the day, they hang out in the deciduous trees near the driveway and backyard. Our driveway is fairly large and so I have started leaving peanuts on the ground in a particular area as well as in the yard. In the previous blog about Leucy, there were some pictures of her eating on pavers. Those pavers sit in the grass, and I put peanuts on them for the birds that prefer those.

I did not always live in an area with such an abundance of nature. For those of you who live in an apartment or area without nearby fields and tree lines, you too can enjoy birds! In the next blog, I will share some tips with you on how to feed birds in a smaller area!