Mitch and I first observed the Northern Cardinal on July 26th, 2016. We were at my best friend’s home and I stayed in for breakfast to catch up with Gina in St. Andrews while Mitch went out to observe in nature. He came back excitedly telling me he had seen Cardinals. I immediately got my birding bag and we took off. We drove into the forest on a narrow path. We were surrounded by trees. We stayed in the car and waited. Not long after, a couple came into view and we observed them through all of the car windows as they were very busy flitting back and forth from branch to branch flirting and chasing each other. It was so joyful and we were both very touched to see them so closely even without binoculars.

This was the moment of a lifetime! All our birder friends know that this is my all-time favorite bird. Since then, Mitch and I have watched them over 80 times on our outings and during bird counts for bird studies.

In the past, we heard the call of a cardinal in our backyard but had never seen one until November 5th, 2023. Mitch watched a brightly colored male eating at the feeder. I saw him perched on a tree that day as he had fled the feeder by the time Mitch told me to come to see him through the back door window. They typically don’t stay long and are very skittish so they are easily frightened. A female cardinal was in the tree he had flown to. I got glimpses but no clear views. Mitch took amazing photographs. Today, Friday the tenth of November, I had the opportunity to see a male and female cardinal at our feeder and got a lovely view of the male. It is impossible to explain the color of this species’ feathers that is never truly captured by any camera.

You must see it in person to grasp the exact brightness and transparency of the cardinal red colors displayed by these birds and this goes for both males and females who are more muted but nonetheless absolutely breathtaking especially in the sunlight.

The cardinal is one of the most loved and easily recognized birds due to its magical colors and its role in mythology and literature throughout the centuries. It is often seen on Christmas cards in winter scenes as well as on sympathy cards. In addition, it is also a symbolic creature that symbolizes love and loyalty and they are known as messengers from the spirit world.

The Northern Cardinal has been extending its range northward for decades, and it now brightens our winter days in New Brunswick. It is believed that the reason is because people add oiled sunflower seeds to their feeders which is a favorite treat for them.

On one of our trips to Grand Manan long ago, a wonderful friend, Jennifer, who is a longtime birder from there asked which bird I wanted to see. I told her that the bird I sought to see the most was my absolute favorite of course. She then told us that we could see one on King Street (a very appropriate setting for this bird!) and I was totally astonished! We jumped in the car and set out to see it. From the moment I saw him my eyes were glued to my binoculars the whole time we were there. I kept wiping the tears from my eyes to see clearly. He was very far at the top of a tree.

Thankfully we were able to see cardinals many more times over the years since then in many areas throughout the province of New Brunswick. I got to watch them and study their behavior and eating patterns. They are elusive and only come to feeders when there aren’t many birds which is odd for such a medium-sized species. Like chickadees, they only come to take a treat and then hastily fly to a branch to eat it or they eat a few seeds and quickly leave. It is such a delight to see these messengers and we are grateful to have them join in the festivities and the mêlée of our backyard feasting grounds.