9 Things About Cardinals I Learned in 30 Winters at a Wild Bird Store (Number 6 Surprises EVERYONE)

If a cardinal has ever sung to you from deep inside a lilac or a spruce, I'd bet you pictured the red one doing the singing. After 30 years running a wild bird store in Michigan, I can tell you that number 6 surprises nearly everybody I tell. In this video: 1. Your cardinals never leave you, and how they spread north 2. First at the feeder in the morning, last at dusk 3. The bald, ragged cardinal in late summer: molting, not sick 4. Where his red comes from, and why he's brightest in winter 5. Winter flocks and the pecking order 6. The female sings too, and often from the nest 7. Beak to beak feeding, and whether cardinals really mate for life 8. The cardinal fighting your window, and how to stop it 9. What to put out: black oil sunflower, safflower, the right feeder and native shrubs Along the way I cover bird feeding tips for attracting cardinals, what to skip on the seed shelf, and how to protect your windows. Tell me in the comments where you're watching from, your state or your province, and what time your cardinals show up. And if you've ever caught the female singing, type HER and tell me where she was sitting. If you're the one in your family who can name the bird at the feeder before anybody else has had their coffee, subscribe. Every week I share what I learned behind that counter, the things the seed companies never print on the bag. Over the years, more than one customer told me, quietly, that a cardinal at the feeder was a visit from someone she'd lost. It's a folk belief, and a comfort to a great many people. I never once argued with a customer who told me that, and I'm not about to start now. #Cardinals #BackyardBirds #BirdFeeding #WildBirds