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Patiently waiting for me to put out the morning seed...
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Yes, Mum, Dad, and those crazy twins still hanging out here every day
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The kids are as big as their parents, and in a still photo it is difficult to tell which is which..
The clues lie in their squawks - they have yet to learn to trill or sing..
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and behaviour - they are the babies heads down, tails up.
Parents are grimly hanging on trying to eat the seed, and some beak to beak feeding still occurs. I have tried, but am unable to catch that because it is so quick.
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I come from a family of bird lovers.
My Dad is a real expert, and even with a bit of dementia has a vast knowledge of Australian birds. For many years he did monthly reporting for a national register of native birds, going to appointed places and noting the calls and sightings of all species in the area.
His six children all have a passing interest and most of us have 'bird-books' for quick research purposes.
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Today we took Dad for one of his beloved bush drives, past newly green pastures (there have been a few heavy storms this week)..
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a sweet country church and graveyard..
and on to the foothills of Mt Lindsay, part of the border ranges between Queensland/New South Wales.
Mt. Lindsay, as I learnt in childhood, looks like a lion in repose, and can be seen from a hundred miles away.
The object of our quest was to listen to a colony of Australian bell-birds..
They were still there, where I remembered!
Their call is like a tiny, crystal bell and I made a little recording, but can't upload it successfully.
So here is one from uTube:
So here is one from uTube:
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My Christmas Cross-stitch of - what else? - cardinals in the snow!
The lovely Sheri, from Red Rose Alley, asked me the other day why I called my blog Red Cardinal, which seems a perfectly reasonable question.
I have always been intrigued by the idea of a beautiful bird which is completely red, such a joyful, happy, and, it must be said, Christmassy colour.
Many visits to the North American continent later, and much stalking of the neighbourhood wherever we go, but to this day I have never seen the elusive Red Cardinal.
My daughter eventually settled in Canada, and we visit regularly.
I live in hope!
Looking for a blog title, it just popped into my mind as something I like..
(and I had a perfect pair of little china cardinals to photograph as my calling card).
Dear Sheri, I hope I have answered your question!
XXXX
What pretty birds Patricia, they are really gorgeous. Loved hearing about the bush trip and your cross stitch is beautiful. Lovely post.
ReplyDeletePatricia x
Thanks, P, those lorikeets have become part of our family these days!
DeleteThat is the most beautiful family of birds I have ever seen! It was nice you were able to take your dad out to do something he so enjoys. I listened to the bell bird audio clip. They do sound just like little bells tinkling in the distance!
ReplyDeleteThe lorikeets are outside performing, as I write! I hope you enjoyed an introduction to our own Australian bellbirds; they are quite rare, live in colonies in dense bush, and have always fascinated me.
DeleteSo on top of sounding like a really nice person, your Dad is a bird expert too, eh ? Well, if ever I come around your parts, you'd better hide him away quick or he'll have a demented French woman looking for him !! xx
ReplyDeleteDad loves his birds, Silver Bunny! He has a large collection of bird books in his room at the Old Folks Home, and occasionally looks things up. He would love to have a demented French woman looking for him :-)) xx
DeleteI actually saw Red Cardinals when I first moved to Tulsa a few years ago. They were at the Gilcrease Museum just flying around the grounds. They were beautiful and I got a few long distance photos, but they look sort of rust colored in them. The wild birds in Australia surprised me - there are so many of them and lots of exotic colors and shapes. How fun that your dad got to be immersed in their study. Would that be called "birding" and he a "birder" as we would here? Have you seen the sweet film, "The Big Year" with Jack Black and Steve Martin?
ReplyDeleteWell done, Beryl, you have photos of the elusive Cardinals! Yes, Australia has lots of colored birds - it must be the warm climate.. I know those terms for his interest, but they are not generally used in Australia, mores the pity. He would probably describe birds as one of his 'interests'. Haven't seen the film but now I think I should.
DeleteI think I've told you before but I'll say it again I am so envious of the parrots that visit you! The birds of Australia are so beautiful! I would just watch them all day if I had such beautiful creatures in my yard!
ReplyDeleteI think you would love our birds Khammany. They entertain me at breakfast time every day!
DeleteDear Patricia - it is such a lovely idea to explain how you came to call your blog 'Red Cardinal'. I often wonder about blog titles - some are obvious but others are not.
ReplyDeleteThe colourful parrots are such a joyous little family for you to watch and be entertained by, and hopefully one day, you will have the pleasure of seeing the elusive Red Cardinal.
Thank you Rosemary, we are certainly enjoying the funny family who greet us each morning. It amuses me the way the sit up in the trees waiting, and if they think we are a bit tardy, they have a particularly demanding and unmistakable call telling us to hurry up!
DeleteI enjoyed hearing the reasoning behind your blog title, Patricia, and hope you do manage to see a red cardinal in the flesh one day. As for your rainbow-coloured parrots, they's gorgeous and must be such fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteI loved the recording of the bell-birds whose call really does live up to their name. I kept thinking of a spoon tapping the edge of a crystal glass. :-)
It was rather instantaneous reasoning, Perpetua, but came from the background I have sketched out. There was a bellbird colony only a few kilometres from our home until a couple of years ago. Sadly it has now disappeared - they don't like to be close to civilization. Glad you enjoyed their unusual call, which many people liken to crystal, silver, or both!
DeleteYour bird photos are amazing. I cannot imagine what it would be like to look outside one's window and see these exotic creatures. I must settle for RED CARDINALS! And I think of you each time I see one, Patricia. Tis the time of year when they arrive, seeking the berries on my trees and the seeds I will begin placing in the feeders now that the weather has turned cold.
ReplyDeleteYour red cardinals, which I am sure have much better manners than our mad lorikeets, might be the closest connection I ever have to my elusive namesake, Sanda. So they like berries? I'll remember that next time I go to Ottawa and am trying to encourage them! I am guessing they like snow, as they are often pictured against a snowy background. Gorgeous :)
DeleteHi Patricia,
ReplyDeleteI have never seen such muti-colored, beautiful birds! So gorgeous.
When I was a child, we had a magnolia tree in our backyard. I have an early memory of my mother picking me up and pointing to a red cardinal that had flown out of the tree and was hopping around in the yard. When I see birds with vivid colors, I always hope to find a feather.
A feather from a Red Cardinal! Now that would be special Debra. I will have to speak to the mad lorikeets and ask them to drop the odd blue, green, or red feather for me.
DeleteFun to discover the reason for the name of your blog. I would be so excited to find those colorful birds outside my back door. How great that your Dad still enjoys birding and has passed so much information on.
ReplyDeleteDarla
Thanks Darla. Despite his limitations, Dad is still the one I ask if I want specific information about any bird. He always has the answer too. They say the oldest memories are the ones that last the longest and that seems to be true. He tends not to know our names these days.
DeleteSo you are blessed with bright-colored birds too.
ReplyDeleteSo much color to be seen in your animal kingdom,flowers,everything.
One would suppose Australians are in general happy people!
Yes Mette, I think Australians are happy people, and we are blessed with nice climate and lots of interesting birds and animals. We do have too many floods and droughts, but that is happening world wide these days. Glad you like our special bird friends, the lorikeets.
DeleteOh Patricia, your bird pictures are fantastic!!!
ReplyDeleteThey look delightful and are obviously quite happy with you close by clicking away!
Have a happy weekend.
Hugs
Shane
Thank you Shane, the birds can be easily startled, but I use a strong telephone lens from about 2 metres away. I have to move slowly, make no sudden moves, and stand there for a few minutes before I can take a shot. But I think it is worth the effort! Happy weekend!
DeleteHi Patricia the birds you have shared are just so bright and cheerful and of course the Red Cardinal is a special little soul. You mentioned liking the bird canister on my blog and I just wanted to let you know it is from Provincial Living and they have lots of other little bird inspired jugs and cup sand things. All to beautiful. Enjoy your weekend and thank you for sharing your cheer with us all today. happy Weekend Shell - A Darlings Nest.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shell, I will check out Provincial Living asap! Happy Weekend to you too xx
DeleteOh thank you, Patricia, for letting me know why you named your blog Red Cardinal. I love your name, and was very interested in hearing the story. I don't ever see that beautiful bird around here either, but wish I did. I am just getting back from a long four day trip from So Cal, and catching up with things around here. Those rainbow birds are so lovely. That must be a sight seeing those all the time. How nice to hear that your Dad was a bird lover too. I don't see many exotic birds around here, but I love bird watching, and taking pictures of them is one of my favorite things to do.
ReplyDeleteThank you, again, for letting me know the meaning behind your blog. I appreciate that so much.
Have a blessed Sunday, dear. I might get my Christmas tree today, if my husband isn't too tired from traveling. :~)
Love,
~Sheri
You are welcome, Sheri, I am glad you were interested. I'm glad you like watching and photographing birds too. They are so attractive, don't hurt us (usually) and are easy to feed. Hope you got your Christmas tree :) xx
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