Male Northern Cardinal Images

I don’t find cardinals in northern Utah, so I was super excited to take a few male Northern Cardinal photos while I was in Arkansas with my friend Steve Creek.

Male Northern Cardinal in Arkansas – Canon R7, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 1250, Canon RF 100-500mm at 363mm, natural light

Both male and female Northern Cardinals came to Steve’s feeders, but the males were far more skittish than the females. Because of that, I felt lucky to be able to capture a few images of the male cardinals.

It was wonderful to listen to the cardinals songs and calls, to watch the birds interact, and to be able to photograph these gorgeous red birds. The last time I had photographed this species was when I lived in Florida and that didn’t happen often because at the time I focused mostly on the birds I found on the Gulf shore.

Inquisitive male Northern Cardinal in Arkansas – Canon R7, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 800, Canon RF 100-500mm at 472mm, natural light

Northern Cardinals were a daily yard bird for me when I lived in Virginia. Watching the male cardinals chase the females around in Steve’s yard was such fun for me. Hearing the males serenade the females was an auditory delight. One morning, I saw a male cardinal feeding one of their young, but it was too far away for high-quality images. Each day that I was in Arkansas, I saw and heard Northern Cardinals, which, for me, was a real treat.

I did take photos of the female cardinals in Steve’s yard and I will share some of those at a later date. For today, I wanted to share images of the redder, flashier males simply because they make me happy.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Northern Cardinal photos plus facts and information about this species.