WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

In the final paragraph of my May 22nd post “Learning on my Terms” I teased about discovering a Cardinal’s nest in my barberry bush. For several years I have had a pair of Cardinals bopping around the backyard. Here are some photos of the female taken one Winter.

Since they were visiting more often lately, I offered a few peanuts on the sidewalk, then put a handful of sunflower seeds down. But that seed-dispensing generosity came to a rapid halt after I returned from walking to find a couple of mice contentedly nibbling on those seeds way too close to the door – a mouse in the house would freak me out!

This post is somewhat long; first will be a backstory, followed by the Diaries and pics.

I have had a lifelong affinity for domestic and wild birds.

Growing up and as an adult, parakeets and canaries were much-loved members of my family. And who doesn’t enjoy the cheery warble of a songbird, no matter the season? As much disdain as I have for Robins building their mud-packed nests in the crook of my porch coach light, then retaliating with huge splats on the front door and siding when I remove said nest, I love to hear a Robin’s cheery birdsong.

I fed and watered the backyard birds in all seasons for many years, usually just filling the feeders or birdbaths before dashing off to catch the bus for my job in Downtown Detroit. When I suddenly became “Yard Master” er … “Yard Mistress” in 1984 after my father’s abrupt departure, suddenly I was logging many outside hours, especially in Summer.

In 1985 I ripped out about 90% of my father’s landscaping efforts, most which had become grossly overgrown and created a more natural habitat, including a large butterfly garden. During this yard revitalization period, I had a backyard bird following of feathered friends who perched on the fence each morning while awaiting fresh seeds at the bird feeder and clean water as I hand-watered the garden before leaving for work.

During this time period, I befriended a female Cardinal and knew it wasn’t just my imagination that she would sit on the fence and sweetly tweet at me while I worked. I always whistled back at the songbirds and tried to keep up with them whistle for whistle, note for note.

Well Mrs. Cardinal filled my heart with joy and I treated her extra-special, i.e. I would place some peanuts on a partially hidden flat rock. It only took me a few times to point to her, then to the peanuts on the rock for her to see that treat. Her mate always waited in the tree or perched on the fence allowing her to partake in the peanuts first.

My mom, also a feathered-friend devotee, was just as delighted as me to see what we assumed to be a mated pair and she often watched them from her back bedroom window. In an issue of the magazine Birds and Blooms we learned that safflower seeds were a special treat enjoyed by Cardinals and, believe it or not, are one of very few foods squirrels do not like. So I bought a five-pound bag of safflower seeds to see if our Cardinals would like them.

And so began an evening ritual that lasted from Spring through Fall for several years … BUT, with Mrs. Cardinal only.

When I returned home from work every night, as I walked up the sidewalk leading to the door, Mrs. Cardinal acknowledged my arrival by flying down to the patio floor. I would step inside the house, put down my tote bag and emerge with a small Dixie cup of safflower seeds which I’d pour on the cement, then go into the house for dinner. You could set a clock to my arrival time and, obviously Mrs. Cardinal did not wear a watch, but there she was. Suffice it to say, we never disappointed one another. I stuck to that timetable on weekends and holidays if possible.

Sadly, that delightful routine was broken, likely after West Nile virus affected our area. My mom and I spent a long weekend in Toronto visiting my grandmother and when we returned home, I immediately went into the backyard to feed my feathered and furry friends and fill the four birdbaths. I was horrified to find about a dozen Blue Jay bodies in my backyard. As West Nile virus was ravaging Southeast Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources (“DNR”) had directed residents to notify them of any dead birds, even one bird, unless the bird evidently met its fate, having been mauled by a predator. The DNR picked up the bird bodies the following day and contacted us to say that all the Jays had West Nile virus and we should immediately discontinue watering and feeding the birds until the following year ONLY if the virus had abated. Sadly, I washed out the birdbaths and stored them in the garage. I never saw Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal again and assumed they also perished from the West Nile virus, thankfully not in my yard, where I would see them.

But, surely, not ALL my Cardinals’ extended family perished – they could have descendants, right?

Thank you for reading the backstory and now I give you The Cardinal Diaries.

The Cardinal Diaries 2023.

Wednesday, May 10th – I returned home from walking and as I came up the walk, a female Cardinal zoomed into the barberry bushes. Since I wasn’t near, I hadn’t spooked her, so I wondered if there was a nest. Later that day, I went outside and a male Cardinal flitted by. Sure enough, a rather flimsy nest, with a few leaves making up the bottom portion, was resting inside the prickly barberry bush.

I wondered aloud if they were descendants of my original Cardinal pair and could I recreate the magic in 2023?

Friday, May 12th – I took a vacation day as I wanted to visit the Ford Estate Lilac garden and the Environmental Interpretive Center. Before I left, I checked on Mama-to-be, Mrs. Cardinal who was sitting on the nest. I spoke softly to her, though she looked at me intently – I hoped she wasn’t scared.

That evening when I got online, I checked the incubation period for Cardinal eggs and learned it was 11-13 days. I also learned incubation does not begin until all the eggs are laid.

Saturday, May 13th – I thought of the realtor tagline “location, location, location” as Mama and Papa Cardinal likely thought this was a great spot to build a nest and nurture their hatchlings until fledging. It was chilly and Mama could not have been comfortable, nor warm. Here she was giving me “the tail” … guess she showed me.

Sunday, May 14th – It was Mother’s Day and I momentarily mused about the “Legend of the Cardinal” wherein a deceased loved one comes to visit you in the form of a beautiful red (male) Cardinal. Well, Mama Cardinal, who was looking a bit frowsy from embedding herself deep into that nest was the next best thing to perpetuating that myth, as Papa was nowhere to be found.

Monday, May 15th – We began an uncharacteristic cold snap, the coldest May in 115 years. A few evenings there were frost advisories. My “morning gawk” at Mama Cardinal found her hunkered deep down …

… in that flimsy nest protecting those eggs. I gave her words of encouragement before heading off on my walk.

Wednesday, May 17th – I began to suspect that the in-shell peanuts left on the patio, intended for the Cardinals …

… likely were ending up in the tummy of this nursing Mama Squirrel. Who would deny this little Mama a few peanuts? So I compromised and put out extra peanuts on the patio and out front.

Thursday, May 18th – After studying the habits of the Cardinals and noting Mama rarely left the nest, I ordered some safflower seeds, mealworms and two small hanging feeders to place in nearby bushes. They were delivered the next day, so I stopped by and informed Mama she had a new food source.

Saturday, March 20th – Because I wanted to take photos of the happenings at the nest and feeders, I waited until the weekend to fill the feeders.

These feeders had powder-coated perches, so a “fly-by” to eat on the run was not necessary – the Cardinals could perch and fill up on treats. I hung them strategically inside the barberry bushes and a Mock Orange which is looking a bit bare.

I returned from my walk anxious to see if the food was gone and found ants glommed onto the mealworms. I grumbled bigtime and dumped them in the street, rinsed out the dish at the outside tap and pondered my next move.

Sunday, May 21st – I Googled “how to serve mealworms and avoid ants?” Well I was supposed to rehydrate the mealworms before serving them. Really? Admittedly I didn’t read the package info and thought mealworms came “ready-to-eat” … who knew? I filled a disposable cup with mealworms and sloshed warm water over them. Ugh – it looked like some instant noodle dish. The mealworms were buoyant little fellas. I stirred and swirled them around until they were moist and juicy, then spooned them into the feeder, topped off the safflower seeds and left on my walk.

I returned to find ants crawling on the mealworms, so I dumped them again and was done with mealworms. I got a small ceramic custard dish and filled it with water and placed it in that feeder.

I decided Mama Cardinal was overdue hatching those babies. By my calculations, those beaks should be upturned, waiting for grubs to be dropped into their mouths. I hopped onto Google where I learned that Mama Cardinals often sit on the hatchlings when they are newly hatched and most vulnerable. So was she sitting on the babies to keep them warm? What a revelation!

Monday, May 22nd – The HVAC tech was here doing a wellness check on the A/C. In shepherding the tech to the backyard, I decided to show her Mama Cardinal sitting on the nest. Alana peeked in, then whipped out her phone, scrolled through some pics and showed me HER Mama Cardinal which was leucistic (all white) with her mate hanging out by Alana’s sunflower seed feeder. Nothing like trading Cardinal stories like two doting, if not dotty, aunts. 🙂

Tuesday, May 23rd – Our cold spell lingered with near freezing temps. If those chicks had hatched, I hoped Mama wouldn’t smother them trying to keep them warm.

Wednesday, May 24th – Patience was a virtue: I saw Mama Cardinal zoom out of the nest, so I zoomed into the house for the camera. She saw me near the nest and returned pronto. For all my efforts, I only got a few halfway decent photos of Mama feeding her babies. She was so embedded in the barberry bush that zooming in too much made it blurry. I saw just how big those babies were, so I was convinced they had hatched longer ago than originally thought.

Memorial Day weekend from May 27th through 29th – The Saturday of the long holiday was “Female Bird Day” so I was busy checking out Mama Cardinal while I spent two days doing yardwork, I squeezed in some “me time” too, on tiptoes, to scope out the nest. I’m sure I could have been in the house earlier both days rather than beating a path over to the barberry bush. Mama and Papa were hovering about. Mama’s tail was bobbing as she fed bug bits to her little ones. Every so often Papa did the same, gaining entry into the barberry bush, then dropping down to a branch near the nest. I got one photo of him, albeit far away.

Memorial Day I didn’t work outside, but planted myself nearby to take some pics. It was difficult to tell how many chicks were in the nest.

Mama seemed to be the best hunter and gatherer of the two. She’s looking a bit frowsy here, having lost some of her feathers either scooting in and out of the prickly barberry bush, or slinking down in that nest, but on each expedition she returned with bugs; one was still wiggling. This picture below on the patio wrought iron railing was my favorite of the bunch.

The next day, I went for my morning gawk and walk and discovered the entire clan had flown the coop and not a moment too soon – the nest was literally in tatters. I’ve only gotten one photo of Mama since then …

… though they both watch me laying down peanuts and drop by for safflower seeds. I’ve not seen any of the youngsters. I’ve also got Chickadees interested in those safflower seeds, though I’ve yet to get a photo of one.

I’m disappointed I didn’t get better shots, but it was a fun learning experience. If the pair was undaunted by this wannabe paparazzo and return to nest again, hopefully I have better luck next time.