Year of the Cardinals

When I got home from work yesterday, I was already in the throws of a very bad mood.  I was crabby for no apparent reason and didn't feel like doing a damn thing.

My hubby came in and we chatted about our day.  He always manages to make me chill out.  He told me that earlier he'd heard a bird chirping so he kind of wandered around until he found the window it was coming from.  He pulled back the curtain and startled a female Cardinal building her nest, right outside our bathroom window.  Like, not even a full twelve inches from his peering face, on the other side of the glass.  

They must have each been as surprised as the other, because they both froze and just stared at each other before she finally bolted and flew away.  He said that didn't know if they would see her again, he'd really startled her and his disappointment in that possibility was so adorable that I couldn't help but cheer up. 

I hoped she would come back, too, but wasn't holding my breath. 

This morning, as I did my girl thing in the bathroom and got ready for work, I heard her.  I knew right where she would be and I was not going to scare her away for good, so I peeked through the cracks of the curtain and saw her with a small twig in her beak.  I watched her until she placed it and flew off to get another one, then I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture. 

I did some reading on Cardinals this morning so I could familiarize myself with our new guests. I learned that there are four layers to a Cardinal's nest and that it can take anywhere from 3-9 days for the female to build it, depending on how helpful Mister Cardinal is in bringing her supplies. This is only the first layer according to what I've read, so I am excited to watch the progress!

I am picking up some Cardinal friendly feed today in hopes it helps them stick around. Stay tuned and I'll continue to post on behalf of Mr. & Mrs. Cardinal!