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My Cardinal


My Cardinal
Photo Information
Copyright: Mircea Costina (mirceax) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 233 W: 57 N: 1281] (5687)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-12-31
Categories: Birds
Camera: Nikon D50, Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro
Exposure: f/7.0, 1/800 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2007-01-01 10:03
Viewed: 577
Points: 16
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a member of the cardinal family of birds in North America. The bird's name comes from the red-robed Roman Catholic Cardinals. Its crested head is also said to resemble a bishop's mitre. Cardinals have been also referred to as redbirds and Virginia nightingales. Cardinals were once popular cage birds for their bright color and rich, varied songs.

Appearance
Males are bright, crimson red with black faces and coral/red beaks. Females are a fawn/light brown color, with mostly grayish-brown tones & slight reddish tint in their wings and tail feathers, also with a bright coral/red beak. Both possess prominent raised crests and strong beaks. Young birds (male & female) are the color of a mother bird until the fall, when they will molt and grow their adult feathers.

Abundance
Northern Cardinal on the Island of Kauai, HawaiiCardinals are abundant across the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and in Canada in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Their range extends west to the U.S.-Mexico border and south through Mexico to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, northern Guatemala, and northern Belize. They were introduced to Bermuda in 1700. They have also been introduced in Hawaii, and Southern California. Their natural habitats are woodlands, suburbs, gardens, swamps and thickets.

Mating & Song
Cardinals are a territorial song bird. The male sings in a loud, clear whistle from a tree top or other high location to defend his territory. He will chase off other males entering his territory. The pair sometimes sing together before nesting and the male may feed his mate. The female builds a cup nest in a well-concealed spot in dense shrub or a low tree. Both feed the young. Young fledged cardinals resemble adult females in coloring. The male will grow in bright red feathers as he matures and is eventually chased away by his sire.
Female Northern Cardinal in MassachusettsThese birds are permanent residents throughout their range, although they may relocate to avoid extreme weather or if food is scarce.
The Pyrrhuloxia is closely related to the Northern Cardinal.Cardinals learn their songs, and as a result the songs vary regionally. Cardinals are able to easily distinguish the gender of a singing cardinal by its song alone. Interestingly, however, male cardinals can learn songs from female cardinals, and vice versa, suggesting that differences in song between the sexes may be due to hormonal differences and not learning.
Cardinals have a distinctive alarm call, a short metallic 'chip' sound. In some cases they will also utter a series of chipping notes. It is often easy to locate Cardinals by their alarm call, since they will make it readily when humans walk nearby.(wikipedia.com)
uleko, Rolf, coasties, XOTAELE, claudine has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Bonjour Mircea
C'est Une merveilleuse photo que ce Joli cardinal rouge qui malheureusement ne se trouve pas dans mon environnement. Très belle composition, les couleurs et le cadrage et le BG et les détails sont tous supers bons.
Bonne Année 2007
Bravo et merci...JP

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2369 W: 164 N: 7114] (22494)
  • [2007-01-01 10:56]

Hello Mircea,
Excellent portrait of the Cardinal in a nice pose. Very sharp and excellent colours which stand out against the light background.
TFS and best wishes, Ulla

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1676 W: 5 N: 2144] (11866)
  • [2007-01-01 11:39]

Bonne prise,l'oiseau est superbe et la pose est parfaite sur cette branche en diagonale.
Merci!
Joseph

  • Great 
  • Rolf Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 59 W: 0 N: 27] (196)
  • [2007-01-01 11:47]

Nice shot of this cardinal, Mircea.
HNY
Rolf

Hi Mircea

This is stunning. Love the colours. Very nicely composed. Good catchlight in the eye. Nice camera work. :-)

Precioso colorido el de este cardenalito, con un POV estupendo así como el fondo.
Una auténtica maravilla.
Saludos, JL.

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2007-01-01 23:10]

Hello Mircea

I love cardinals,and you have captured this one beautifully.The DOF and POV are excellent.The details are sharp and crisp.The colours are well saturated.Nice catch light in the eye.Nicely composed and framed.TFS
Rob

Allo Mircea,
C'est une excelllente capture de ce bel oiseau. J'adore les Cardinaux que j'entend chanter de leur superbe chant l'été surtout. Les détails, la prise de vue et la composition sont très bons. J'ai aimé le WS qui raviveve un peu les couleurs. Bravo pour cette belle capture.
Claudine

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