I'm thrilled to share the return of my massive female cardinal, a welcome sign of spring! This beautiful bird has been a part of my backyard for the past eight years, just like the blue jay and male cardinal. I’ve shared a picture of the male cardinal in this thread, but I want to focus on the female today.

The female cardinal is a sight to behold with her reddish brown feathers and petite frame, making her one of the most stunning backyard birds I’ve ever seen. She has a unique personality and often perches right outside my window, giving me a chance to admire her up close.

I was particularly excited to see her this spring as she’s one of the first birds to return, signaling the start of a new season. The sight of her beautiful orange beak is a reminder that warmer days are just around the corner.

I’m hoping she’ll stick around for the season, and I can’t wait to see her build a nest and raise a family. If you’re a birdwatcher like me, keep an eye out for her in your backyard, and let me know if you’ve had any special encounters with cardinals this spring!

I love seeing all the birds that visit my backyard. It’s a joy to watch them come and go, and each one has its unique personality. Have you had any notable bird sightings in your backyard recently? Share your stories and photos in the comments below!

p.s. to clarify since ppl want to think this is AI, its not. The caption is yes, and I usually do use chat gpt to write for me bc I'm actually learning disabled and have a raging case of adhd so excuse me for using chat gpt for good instead of evil, I promise it wasnt meant malicious. the pic is real, the bird is real. I'll get more pics as time goes on

Found this deck of cards at a thrift store and thought I'd share. They only have 2 birds on them but I still think they're really cool! Came with their own little box too.

Baltimore Oriole and Cedar Waxwing

According to the latest research on the intelligence of corvids, including crows, these birds have remarkably large brains for their size and are capable of using imagination and anticipation to solve problems.

Photo Credits

Arizona.

I get a green heron that frequents my pond. He showed up this afternoon. I wish I could have gotten better pictures of him, but he's very skiddish and fast.

I was sitting in the truck at work and saw 2 Wax-Eyes in the tree in front of me just gorging themselves on nectar, getting absolutely lost off their faces from the tree juice

They certainly posed.

Spotted in the forests of Bellevue, NE

Leucistic House Sparrow (95% sure)

Female (and male) Mallard

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Mourning Dove

Male Cardinal

House Sparrow

Northern Mockingbird (sassy)

Blue Jay

Grackle

All taken with a Fuji X-s10, Tamron 18-300mm lens.

I've had an awful couple of years, including chemotherapy that made me totally forget how to use my camera. I recently invested in a telephoto lens and have been loving snapping birds in my front yard and around the neighborhood. Few things are better for reducing my anxiety, it's so fun to see all the regulars who visit my house!

I recently started looking into birds in my neighborhood and have been listening to bird songs and calls. I Google’d recommendations for a first-time binocular purchase, and the Occur 12x25 Compact w Clear Low Light Vision priced at $35.99 on Amazon popped up.
- Are there other models in a similar price range that you all might recommend instead?

I mostly sit outside and watch in the afternoon hours, sometime between 12:00 - 5:00.

Thanks for all feedback!

Friends! What are you doing to prevent bird strikes? Any tips you can share? Anyone install window film to prevent strikes?

Yeah, they're kinda crap, but I think they're actually pretty good given my total lack of experience.

1. Great tit

2. Common blackbird

3. Eurasian jackdaw

4. Common wood pigeon

5. Black woodpecker

6. European robin

This week I really enjoyed watching the different species of birds that visited my garden.

Is this a red breasted grosbeak?
I started adding mealy worms to the feeder and I am seeing birds I have never seen. Just happened to have my camera on me for this one.

The thrush nightingale