June 17, 1962 - CardinalsCardinals
Exclusive Sunday Review Sketch by Dennis Puleston of Brookhaven
Focus on Nature by Poul Stoutenburgh
To those of you who read last
week's column, Judd Bennett of
East Marion needs no further
introduction as a skilled reporter.
His writing on the Chimney Swift
earned him the right to contri-
bute to this column any time he
wishes. This week he brings a
favorite of the South to all of us --
the Cardinal. PS.
Not many days lack the de-
light I have in watching my old
Cardinals feed. Now they bathe
and eat unafraid much closer
than they have, any year of the
past six since they came here.
They are naturally wary, as
most brilliantly colored birds
are. It took time and patience to
have this confidence become
deep and constant and it appears
reserved just for me. They fly
off when others come.
One day two strangers sudden-
ly appeared. I looked up when
the Cardinals dashed away and
saw two young men from the
Coast and Geodetic Survey stand-
ing there holding their tripods,
map - boards and binoculars. I
was startled also - -- though I try
generally to expect anything - --
even a rare bird. These men
were working on a new, more
accurate mapping of the Long
Island coast. It just happens
that my garden is part of an old
life Saving Station and in the
heart of it there is an important
Bench Mark made of bronze and
carefully set 'many years ago. I
welcomed them and soon learned
they came from the southern
States.
The Cardinal male flew back
to the Aspen branch and watch-
ed from there - waiting out the
interruption. S u d de n] y, the
younger man saw him and ex-
claimed: "That, Sir, is my
bird!"
His face beamed. I was a bit
taken back after all these years.
He explained what he meant --
that his home State of Kentucky
had made it the official bird.
Everyone there naturally trea-
sured the handsome Cardinal. I
asked if he thought of this bird
as a Southern one —yes, he did,
and he had not expected to see
them on Long Island.
Years ago, perhaps about 50 or
so, this young Kentuckian would
have been right, but not now.
These beautiful bright red
"cheering" birds have extended
their old range northward, some
to stay and thrive on Long Is-
land.
To add such a stunning, dram-
atic and brilliant bird like the
Cardinal to the local liirdlife
and, have them be a permanent
resident the year around to boot,
borders on the hardly believable.
Yet they are here. If all goes
well we should have them every-
where and for many years. One
can actually feel the wholely
satisfied pitch in their song when
it rings out from a taller tree.
To point out the young
surveyor's pride I'll add names
bearing him out — The Kentucky
Cardinal is the best one, next
the Virginia Nightingale - on to,
Virginia Red Bird and Crested
Real Bird. Most of them do have
a Southern origin.
The brilliantly plumaged Car-
dinal male is a lively note any-
where and at any time. Many
stories written to give us a
glimpse of the .South's fabled ear
of "Elegance and Chivalry" told
of the Cardinal flashing in the
sunlight over plantation fields,
dazzling and white, with ripened
cotton. A grand strong bit of
beauty with fantastic contrasts
tugging at us until we might
wonder like a child. Such a pic-
ture could thrill even a London
accountant!
True, we have no cotton fields.
Our similar picture occurs when
snow silently falls and morning
comes clear and bright making
the same heartening spectacle
for us; a red bird in a sea of
clean white. It is about this time
of the seasons that the Cardinal
gains most of his new admirers.
If he is about during the win=
ter when Spring comes he will
be heard singing lute -like and
persistently. They do not move
about much and the male sings
with an .eager spirited outburst
to declare limits of "territory ".
The whistles ending the song are
rich, vibrant and commanding.
She sings almost as well as he
does.
Their territory is roughly two
acres. That much is needed to
sustain the pair year around and
provide also for the young, gen-
erally three offspring for each
of the two or three family at-
tempts. Although both are good
parents, many of the real feed-
ing and teaching duties fall on
the male, especially during the
incubation of the succeeding
broods. When this job is done,
and it is very well carried out
with tender love, he almost
wears himself out forcing the
grown fledglings off his territory.
He wants them to go -- desper-
ately. One can easily see how
their range has increased in re-
cent years — when rearing has
been successful, little else could
be expected.
We see a number of thick -
billed birds in the wintertime and
spring and they are the Gros-
beaks: Evening, Rose - breasted
and Pine. The thick bill we see
on the Cardinal which is edged
by a black mask marks him as
a Grosbeak. All of this family
are of extraordinary beauty anU
all are fine vocalists.
For most of us the Cardinal
song is the best. The birds with
such large, powerful and "trop-
ical appearing" bills are seed
crackers, that is, they do not
eat the whole seed but shell
them where they find them. It
is no wonder simple good for-
tune is in a handout of sunflower
seeds. On their own they eat
wild fruits, grasshoppers, some
beetles, caterpillars and weed
seeds.
If you are aware of Cardinals
within a reasonable distance it
would be wise to try to tempt a
young male to stay around by
keeping water continually avail-
able plus an early spread of
food. This should help to draw
them in. Try unsalted peanuts
and melon seeds, too. Should
there be a gardener in the fam-
ily encourage that happy one to
dig furiously for the growing of
fruit- bearing shrubs a n d :trees.
Many very attractive plantings
are a big inducement - -- for all
birds.
The real star of the winter
birds is surely the Cardinal. He
is the only one that red, that full
of song and that saucy to his
mate. I am referring to the hard
time he seems to give her when
they feed — especially if the
seed is tossed on the ground. He
eats first and she sits by with
hope. We like to think he wants
her to act as a guard when he
is so exposed and vulnerable.
The wash of olive over the red
makes her beautiful but somber
and a bit more difficult to see.
Her turn really comes though
for during courtship he shells
the seed and tucks it right into
her bill — so!
If it works out that your place
is chosen as a Cardinal's home
territory you've gained -- gained
a rare stimulating touch, bound
to change the days that follow
to something of a joy, something
the ordinary yesterdays Iacked.
Keep the windows cleaner — at
least the lower bottom panes.
FIELD OBSERVATIONS
Roy Latham reports:
Greenport - May 31
Kentucky Warbler
Orient - May 31
Evening Grosbeak (15)
Orient - June Z
Loon (4)
Greenport - June 3
Woodcock (6) brood.
Gil Raynor reports:
Shinnecdck — June is
Sooty Shearwaters (24)
Pomarine Jaegers (2)
D Puleston & H Halama report:
Jamaica Bay Sanctuary —June 10
Ruff
Wilson's Phalarope
Least Bittern (2)
Glossy Ibis (20)
Gadwall (8)
Blue- winged Teal (5)
Killdeer (5)
Florida Gallinules w /young (3)
Litt!]b Blue Heron