I rounded a bend in a small wooded path and froze, staring back at this male cardinal. Slowly I brought my camera, held ready, the last few inches to my eye and was fortunate enough, this time, to finally capture him on film. No, I'm in the digital age now, not film... er, um... on solid-state computer storage media?

I see cardinals at Green Cay from time to time, but they flit about too quickly to change settings so your camera has to be ready for the lighting they've perched in when you spot them.

The female cardinal isn't as strikingly screaming red as the male is.  I was about to take a perfect picture of a beautiful female cardinal when the male swooped in behind her and startled her away. I ended up with another great shot of an empty branch, but decided not to share it here.

Photographing birds can be frustrating, but when you finally get a shot that you're proud of it's also immensely rewarding. Taking the time to go outside and appreciate the wildlife that has managed to survive our relentless efforts to eradicate habitat by paving it, building on it, or turning it into mowed lawn can be quite relaxing. When you find a place where the birds chirp, and you can hear them without all of the background noise of humanity, pause and enjoy it while it lasts!

I got one more cardinal photograph just as the sun was setting.  The flash isn't as good as natural daylight, but I sure was glad to have it because I wouldn't have been able to use this picture without it.  The female was sitting right in front of me for a moment, a perfect shot, but I was so stunned to see her after all the time I've spend chasing a girl cardinal that I froze and she flew off before my hands even twitched to aim the camera at  her.  Perhaps next time....