Cardinals and Christmas
Here in the north country, we relish our cardinal sightings providing brilliance in the monochrome season of winter.
The native American “redbird” was renamed cardinal by the European settlers who associated the red hue and crest to the vestments worn by bishops. In addition to the religious naming, the cardinal brings holiday cheer with the color arrangement it creates in the winter habitat - the red feathers, perching in the green of a conifer tree against the white of the snowy background.
At the winter bird feeder, cardinals are the first to arrive before sunrise and then reappear in numbers just after sunset. Cardinals will certainly gather in numbers during the daylight hours especially around snow events but they are mostly crepuscular, meaning appearing or active in twilight. The feeding cardinals remind us how short our daylight hours are this time of year.
