Cardinal, home

A couple of inches of powdery snow arrived in the pre-dawn hours, and when I got up to liberate the mouse that decided to call the Prius temporary home, I had to crunch through a white blanket to bring the rodent to its new, and, I hoped, permanent home in a rock wall on the far side of the Noah-sized stream in the woods. When I crunched back, the suet feeders were busy stoking up on fat to keep their home fires burning, and the day brought a steady stream of birds. I love all the freeloaders, but if I had to choose a favorite, it might be the local Cardinals, those vibrant birds my granddaughter Stasia always calls "red jays." The male Cardinals are the bright ones, the females more subdued. This handsome guy, perched on a Witchhazel that is still putting forth flowers, is too busy eating to be worried about attracting a mate. That'll change, of course, and if the potential girlfriend population on the ridge fares well this winter, he'll have plenty of possibilities to choose from.