I feed the wild things every morning before I head out to work, and I have done so for many, many years. In fact, I have pretty much had some kind of feeders since I have had a place of my own to hang one. I do it mainly to attract song birds since I have been interested in birding since I was in high school. I know that a lot of birders really hate the squirrels and have devised all sorts of strategies to keep them out of the feed, but I don’t mind them coming in to eat, either. Since I’ve been feeding for so long, the wildlife has definitely gotten used to it, and they can be downright demanding if I’m late.

Some of the birds that come in to eat in the spring and fall are migrants that stay for a day or two and head on again, but I also have some residents that live here year round. They’re the ones that get very demanding! In particular, there is a pair of Northern cardinals that have been around here for a couple of years, maybe longer. The male, I call him Poppa (very original, right?), is pretty used to me and will get fairly close to me when I’m out there feeding (I don’t encourage that. I want them to stay wary of people). The female (you guessed it…Momma) is more scared of me, and although she stays in sight, she never gets as close as he does.

On the weekends I like to sleep in beyond 6:00 am, so the feeding is always later than during the week. This is particularly when Poppa gets quite demanding. On Saturday when I went out to feed he was waiting for me and definitely a little put out by the wait. As soon as I approached the feeding area he was there, demanding his breakfast. Momma was up in one of the oaks trees watching the whole display. Both birds were plenty close enough for some photography, so I stepped into my backyard to take some shots. I really wanted some of them in a more natural surrounding than the feeding station, so I started out taking a few shots of Momma up in the tree. Poppa was busy pigging out, and she was watching him, but was too scared of me to fly down and eat. I was about to head back inside to allow Momma to get to her breakfast, when Poppa flew up into the tree beside her. At first I didn’t realize what he was doing, but he repeatedly flew down to the food and then back up to her. Then it struck me. He was feeding her! A gesture of love if I’ve ever seen one! It was very heartwarming, and I watched for a few minutes before going back inside (my morning coffee was calling to me!) and leaving them in peace.

Both birds are in their breeding plumage, and it is about the time of year to start this year’s family. I know that some courtship behavior involves feeding, so that may have been some of it, but this pair of birds has been together for awhile. I really do think that at least part of it was that he knew she was hungry and too scared to come down. Whether that’s true or not, I choose to believe it! What’s more, after grabbing that coffee, I headed into the bedroom that overlooks the feeding station and both birds were there now busily feeding just themselves. I’d say that man’s a keeper!