Rose is Rose by Don Wimmer and Pat Brady for January 15, 2013

He’s a Cardinal (solid Red) and they stick around all Winter.(He probably knows where a stream with unfrozen running water is, but since Rose delivers, why bother?)

I once put out a pan of hot water figuring as it cooled the birds hanging around would get a drink before it froze. Shortly there-after I looked out to see 3 birds in a line waiting while a 4th was taking a hot bath.

That round head is very unlike a cardinal.

We have Desert Cardinals around our house. They are mainly brown, but the have splashes of red on the inside of their wings, under their tails and their heads. The heads also have the Cardinal crest. So pretty.

Aww the poor little thing. I’d let it live in the guest room only Peekaboo might eat it.

I’m in NC and we have thousands of Cardinals here all year. They bring the babies in the late Spring and you should watch them feed them. By then, the babies are almost full grown but will follow their parents around with their mouths open like they’re still tiny and in the nest. The parents always oblige and feed them a seed.I also go out first thing in the morning with fresh water if I see it’s frozen. I’ve never seen a Cardinal tap on ice but have seen the Mourning Doves do it. After I put out the water, they’re all back for a drink.

“…there was no room for them in the inn.”

Consistently no crests. These birds may be purple finches (which are, oddly enough, more red than purple).

I keep my feeders full all winter. The finches and chicadees go through a lot of feed. Sometimes I even have gold finches visit.

I’d put our more food in the feeder if the squirrls didn’t raid it. Sure they can’t get at the bottom of the feeder where the food is because it has a squirl gaurd, but one of them gets on top and jumps until the feeder swings and some food falls out, then they all enjoy what spills on the ground. . .

Meowlin: Roger Peterson defined the purple finch as “a sparrow dipped in raspberry juice.”

One of my neighbors has ducks living in her backyard since she feeds them bread and has water running so that the grass isn’t covered with snow.