Yea for being female

Birds of all descriptions are streaming to my feeders. We had a brush of snow, and although it wasn't the feet of snow that fell within 100 miles of us, it was enough snow to trigger the feeding frenzy at the feeders.

The large feeder usually has seed but frequently my smaller feeder is empty when I greet the morning. I see the birds sitting on the bare tree limbs just off my back deck ... waiting, facing towards my glass slider, waiting, watching, wondering ... when is the "free lunch" arriving.

I seem to have a large flock of Cardinals in my back yard. It is not uncommon to see 8 to 10 Cardinals.

Most people love the look of the male Cardinals. They are brilliant red, showy and a bit cocky if you ask me. The eye is naturally drawn to them. Their color makes them very obvious against the winter shrubbery.

I actually prefer to watch the female Cardinals. They are harder to spot because they are not so bright in their colors.

They seem more polite, waiting their turn to feed. Their feather colors are muted - bright red beaks and touches of red on their wings and heads, but their bodies tend to have shades of color. They are a very appealing bird if you really look at them. The males are all the same - just red, red, and more red. The eye is naturally drawn to such strong colors, but the females are more artistically interesting if you take the time to notice.

And a day or so ago I saw two Blue Jays. They are beautiful birds as well, large in size and brilliant blue. But they, too, all look the same to my eye. When you have seen one, you have seen them all.

Only the female Cardinals are distinctive.

Yea, for being female.