Cardinals Rule!

No, not as in sports, or the catholic church.  In the bird world is what I'm talking about.  I've been sitting at my kitchen table looking out the window for the last hour. Drinking coffee & watching the birds at my feeders.  I only had enough seed for 3 of the 6 feeders.  But did put the heated birdbath out today. A blue jay came noisily by.  There's been a few dark juncos that don't don't stand out as much as when there is snow on the ground. My favorites are the chickadees.  They're never anywhere long.  Grabbing a seed & rushing off. A few little finches blending into the fades grass and brittle leaves. You only notice them when they kick up the vegetation looking for a morsel. There went a nuthatch, a flash of black and gray. A couple of tufted tit-mouses have come to partake in the feast. Up maybe 10 feet is a small downy woodpecker, my second favorite.  On January 2nd, just a few weeks ago one died in my hand after hitting one of my windows blowing blood bubbles with his last breath.  I just received my order of special stickers for the windows from Window Alert. I bought 4 packs.  Back to the birds.  The cardinals are the ones that rule the roost here. I swear to you that there has been at least 11 or more cardinals at one time here feeding. They're not easy to count as the females tend to blend in.  But after sitting here a while my eyes have become accustomed. Their bright orange beaks stand out but the nuances in their feathers are amazing.  Not one of the females are identical.  Well, really none of the birds are.  But the female cardinal with her muted plumage seems to me to stand out with her diversity. The males, bold and bright as brass, seem to have no problem sharing this territory that I call home.