Through gray mornings and darker days, a male cardinal provided a bright spot this past weekend. There were actually two, but only one stuck around for a photo op.
According to the website reference.com, some of the beliefs about cardinals can be traced to the Native Americans.
The website said Native Americans believe that cardinals symbolize monogamy and romance and that when red cardinal that crosses a person’s path it heralds a future romantic relationship.
The website thecardinalexperience.com claimed that “cardinals can bring color and vitality into our lives.” It also said that the cardinal’s red color is symbolic of faith and can serve to remind us to keep the faith even in our darkest times.
Several entries on Pinterest use the quote that includes the saying, “A cardinal is a representative of a loved one who has passed” and that a visit from the scarlet bird is considered a visit from those who are no longer with us.
Meanwhile, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website, Allaboutbirds.org, has the facts on the brightly colored resident.
“They’re a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red you can’t take your eyes off,” the site said.
The website said cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt for the winter. So that means their colors are true all year round.
The site also listed some cool cardinal facts.
It claimed the oldest recorded Northern cardinal was a female, and was 15 years, 9 months old when she was found in Pennsylvania.
Another cool fact is that the female cardinal sings. This is rare because only a few female North American songbirds can carry tune, according to allaboutbirds.org.
The site said the female cardinal most often sings while sitting on the nest. Researchers believe that the singing might be a way of communicating to the male when to bring food to the nest.
Mythology or not cardinals certainly do bring some color in the gray winter days.
Some winterberries also brightened up the scenery.
Bubbles in the pond’s outflow capture a photographer’s reflection.
Crazy Critters
Kyle does things the hard way.
(A Walk in the Woods contains photos from newsroom staffer Anna Applegate’s daily jaunts around her neck of the woods. Tagging along on the treks are dogs, Buford and Sherman, and goats, Kyle and Kennedy. Applegate manages the Good Times and can be emailed at bigdogs.thederrick@gmail.com)
