If ever there was a bird that did not blend in within its enviroment, it would be the Cardinal.
As long as I can remember, the Cardinal has been my very favorite bird and my heart always lifts a little bit when I spot one. As they are a species that is native to my area, I am quite blessed to see them from time to time and their bright, red plumage disctinctly stands out against the greens and browns of the landscape even in the most dismal of weather. While it is the brightly colored male that seems to command the most obvious attention, the female's subtle display of color found on their wing's edge, tail feathers and beak offer a nice contrast and I imagine the subtleties found there are to camoflage one on the nest. As it is with much of nature, the male seems to mostly rely upon the visual 'look at me' displays in capturing the females attention, strutting around in macho confidence. Sorry guys, but you know it is true. If i were a bird, I would hope to have more than that going for me.
I have always thought it would be facinating to capture one or collect an egg to incubate and be able to raise it...perhaps train it, as a domesticated caged bird in an indoor aviary so to speak attached to the house. I have had friends that had various 'wild' animals as pets such as a Racoon or Fox, but at heart think to do so is to take away everything that really makes this bird appealing to me...its wildness at heart, its beauty found in its natural surroundings, and that is a terrible thing to lose.
This detail of a small portion of a wing was taken after I sadly found one on the roadside a while back and stopped to fetch it with the intent of inspecting it closely and hopefully make an image like this. The details found in this wing are amazing to me and I have always enjoyed photographing birds. Not being particularly proficient with it, as such, I have always wanted to try various techniques that I know of to bring them closer in towards my lens...to give them the 'safety ' to do so. Maybe someday I will be able to, but for now, for better or worse, this was my best opportunity that day.
I hope you enjoy it as well.
