Cardinals- Red Glory!

The Northern Cardinal, along with the Carolina Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse, are my backyard's most frequent bird visitors.  The cardinals, though, are more wary of humans than the other two and are a more challenging photography subject. 

The cardinals are elusive to my lens and the shots I do get are usually more at a distance.  Plus there's the desire to capture their image in direct sunlight, not shade, to show their brilliant red glory (for the males anyway).

These birdbath shots were taken from inside my house. 

I love the cardinals' black mask and fierce eyes.  They look intense and mean even.

I like how when they come into my yard the cardinals come in groups of three to five or more.  They seem to have "family values" and stick together which is cool.   

Munching on a sunflower seed.  Yum!

A female cardinal (above). This bird is one of the easier ones to tell the difference between males and females. 

Fierce and fun.  Love the Cardinals (but in baseball it's the Dodgers baby!)