Today I got my first glimpse of the first northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) fledgling of the year. At first I was a little worried because I thought it was one of the females and that she looked kind of rough. Then this handsome male flew in and shooed it back into the brush. That’s when I heard the telltale call of a young bird asking to be fed. The male went back and forth to the feeding station several times and brought food to the youngster. Eventually the crying subsided and the male flew off again. A few seconds later, Junior followed. I’d have loved to have gotten a shot of the fledgling, but I had to settle for his handsome Poppa instead. It’s hard to complain too much, though, when you get such a bright, colorful subject and nicely posed, too.