Is there anything quite as quintessential New England as a vibrantly red cardinal perched in a tree against a snowy background? Northern cardinals are a common species throughout much of the United States and are hard to miss, thanks to the male’s plumage. They can often be found at bird feeders and they certainly brighten up the yard with their presence.

For as long as I can remember I have always viewed the northern cardinal and the blue jay as cousins of sorts. The vibrant blue and red contrast coupled with their similar head crests were easy identifiers for six year old me. And even at that young age, I found that I preferred the northern cardinal over the bossy blue jay. Northern cardinals seem to get along a lot better with other birds and are definitely not as loud as a blue jay can be.

There is a small nature area that I like visiting nearby that has several cardinal pairs. Every time I go I am sure to see a pair of them flitting through the trees and pecking away at the ground or picking berries from the cones of the staghorn sumac tree. It can be very difficult to spot one - the cardinal’s color and size blends in nicely with the cones!