It's taken months but I've finally been able to capture it.
My wife has been putting out bird seed on the balcony since winter and it has attracted all sorts of birds to the backyard - woodpeckers, blue jays, cow birds, etc. What really caught my eye was one couple in particular, I call them Mr. & Mrs. Red. They're cardinals and began showing up around April. Every now and then Mr. Red would feed Mrs. Red and I just knew I had to capture them.
I set up my tripod and wirelessly connected my phone and camera to try and stay out view as they were very skittish. Of course they knew I wanted a picture of them and denied me the pleasure - they would show up solo or just eat on their own side by side. Weeks turned into months and I figured they weren't into being photographed by me.
Until today! This was a different lady and much younger! Very little red in her wings and no red yet in her beak. Maybe dad was just raising his chick? Not sure but it was quite a joy capturing them. I hope you enjoy too!
EOS 77D
EF-S 55-250 @250mm
1/640
F7.1
ISO3200
Nice shots. Well worth the wait and effort.
Thank you, Kenneth!
Love this series. You are right, its Dad feeding his fledgling.
Before mating and as the female incubates the eggs, the males feed the females too. Then both parents feed the chicks in the nest. Dad takes over all feeding once the chicks fledge the nest. Its one of my favorite things to see cardinals do. You got some really cute photos! In my experience, all great photos take a lot of time to get.
Thank you, Jamie! I was really hoping someone would chime in on what I witnessed...because I'm not a birder and I was hoping I got all the details right. Thanks for clearing that up. Glad you enjoyed the photos! Just today I saw a new yellow finch and another yellow bird I haven't seen before. I have a feeling you'll be able to identify that one :).
Bruce– I am illustrating a children's book about cardinals. Would it be okay for me to use one of these images as reference for a small inset drawing? I've attached the drawing.