On our side porch is a vining clematis plant. A couple of years ago this female cardinal decided to make a nest up at the top of the vines. The clematis itself is just starting to leaf out. Our cat never ever noticed her and she succeeded for awhile, getting some eggs lain. We could come and go and she never budged. Unfortunately, our neighbors have many outside cats and the nest was disturbed one night and the bird had to move on to another location. This female and the bright red male are our only pair of cardinals on our property, and they continue to raise young every spring. I should say that around our block is their territory, but we claim them as ours as they eat from our feeder in the winter and berries from our evergreens.
The picture of the eggs is the only nest of cardinal eggs that I have ever seen. I am glad the female didn't get hurt and it would have been fun to have them hatch. I would have hated her loosing grown chicks so it was probably better that she had to move on to a new site. I do think that our big evergreen Minnesota balsam tree is a safer place for her to raise her young. They are busy right now out there getting sticks as we see them scouring the ground for nest material. Spring isn't coming soon enough around here.
On our side porch is a vining clematis plant. A couple of years ago this female cardinal decided to make a nest up at the top of the vines. The clematis itself is just starting to leaf out. Our cat never ever noticed her and she succeeded for awhile, getting some eggs lain. We could come and go and she never budged. Unfortunately, our neighbors have many outside cats and the nest was disturbed one night and the bird had to move on to another location. This female and the bright red male are our only pair of cardinals on our property, and they continue to raise young every spring. I should say that around our block is their territory, but we claim them as ours as they eat from our feeder in the winter and berries from our evergreens.
The picture of the eggs is the only nest of cardinal eggs that I have ever seen. I am glad the female didn't get hurt and it would have been fun to have them hatch. I would have hated her loosing grown chicks so it was probably better that she had to move on to a new site. I do think that our big evergreen Minnesota balsam tree is a safer place for her to raise her young. They are busy right now out there getting sticks as we see them scouring the ground for nest material. Spring isn't coming soon enough around here.
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