I don’t think that anyone would argue against the statement that northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are beautiful birds. The male’s bright red color is quite striking and contrasts perfectly with his black mask. His handsome crest is also an exceptional characteristic and is used a lot for communication with other cardinals and with people, for that matter. It’s easy for me to tend to take them for granted since I have a good sized population of them on my property and in the surrounding woods. But every once in a while, it’s nice to get a reminder of how lucky I am. This is the dominant male on my property, and this morning he decided to perch in a beautyberry bush very near to me. I could see all the subtile changes in his color and the pretty texture of his feathers. It was just a gentle reminder to remember to appreciate what we have near to us.