Friday Finds: Birds of a Feather
Cardinals are apparently quite clever birds. I have an Audubon Squirrel-Proof Feeder in the back yard that's designed for Finches, Chickadees, Wrens, Tufted Titmice and other Typical scene at the feeder: Cardinal & Purple Finch such small birds. It's not designed for Cardinals. Yet, I have a few Cardinals smart enough to have figured out how to slide through the bars and dine like kings! Last year it was only one male Cardinal who knew the trick. This spring I observed a female inside the feeder cage. Since then the pair have raised a couple generations of off-spring and have taught them ALL how to get inside the feeder. In fact, just this week I observed a male Cardinal teaching his two kids where the seed was by first giving them each a sample, then teaching them how to get inside the caged feeder to get it. One day the kids were on the fence waiting for Dad to bring them seed from the feeder and, the next, they were taking turn...