The northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are showing a lot of signs of getting ready to start with their second round of reproduction. The males and some of the females are actively running off the older fledglings. There is a lot of chasing and carrying on and many of the fledglings are even being wary of each other. I have also noticed a lot of the females gathering up nesting materials again. Some couples will build new nests, but most will throw away the lining layers are replace them in the old nest. This female had been pulling pieces off of some of the bushes and carrying them off. I don’t think she was eating them because she returned time and time again and flew off with them each time. Cardinals generally eat their food where they are or very near by. Had it been a chickadee or a tufted titmouse I might not have thought twice about it. Often, as in this case, I will never know for sure what these birds are up to, but by studying their normal behavior, I can often spot differences that lead to certain hypotheses. It’s not like a formal, scientific study, but it keeps me thinking and it makes watching the birds even more enjoyable.