When I got home from work today I realized that I needed to brush my cats, especially B.B., the long-haired one. The male Northern Cardinal who has been ruling my balcony was not pleased with the disruption to his feeding schedule and let me know it by perching in the budding maple tree that has finally gotten taller than the railing of the balcony and chirping his displeasure.
And then, to show he meant business, he summoned reinforcements in the form of House Sparrows to back him up.
Needless to say, the cats were interested but not impressed.
Hunter and B.B., from the same litter, believe it or not
Once the brushing was done the cats came back inside and peace ruled in the cardinal kingdom.
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.
I actually enjoy watching the male Cardinal kick the house sparrows out of the feeder.-Other than that, Cardinals seem very timid.-I have a cat too but it’s an indoor cat.-nice pictures.
@ Larry: My cats are strictly indoor cats too, except for the occasional foray onto my 3rd-floor apartment’s balcony. And pretty much all I get is the local pair of cardinals and house sparrows!
No way…from the SAME LITTER????
Yup…four kittens in the litter, two like BB, two like Hunter. And we all think birds can get confusing…
i see the cardinal brought his posse along.
Yeah, he was rolling deep…now if he would only bring some warblers with him next time.