Success!

After a week of failed attempts - hiding behind the nightstand, snapping photos through sheer curtains, cursing as the coveted red bird flew off - I have, finally, captured an image of the cardinal.



A female sometimes perches in the lilacs while the male feeds, but she hasn't come to the windowsill yet. I am reminded of a family of cardinals I hosted when I lived in Columbus. In the late summer dusk, the parent birds would bring their two dark-billed fledglngs to the feeder for sunflower and safflower seeds. More often than not, the male attended the youngsters alone, cracking the shells open for them while they fluttered and peeped. I wondered if the feeder was like take-out to them; was it analogous to dad taking the kids to McDonald's when mom's working late?