Mama Cardinal

A pair of cardinals has established a nest in, off all places, the honeysuckle on the stairs leading up to the deck. We told them that we would minimize our traffic up and down those stairs, but couldn't eliminate it entirely. We hope they understand. At least they are on the outer, not inner, side of the railing.

Mama cardinal is very well camouflaged amongst the vines, except for her bright red beak.

She's been sitting faithfully on the nest for several days. During mama's occasional trip to the birdbath, just a few feet away, Joan checks out the nest. As far as she can see, there are only two eggs. Three to four is more typical; possibly it's a young pair.

In case you're wondering, we've had occasional owl sightings (aural and visual), but the adults are still tending to the eggs/chicks and there have been no photo ops yet.