Northern Cardinal
“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn”. Hal Borland
The male Northern Cardinal is perhaps responsible for getting more people to open up a field guide than any other bird. They’re a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red you can’t take your eyes off. Even the brown females sport a sharp crest and warm red accents. Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they’re still breathtaking in winter’s snowy backyards. In summer, their sweet whistles are one of the first sounds of the morning. I took this picture in my backyard.
the crafty lady in combat boots 
Jan 20, 2015 @ 19:08:43
We don’t have cardinals here but I did see them in Arizona. The Steller Jay Is a beautiful bird. I will look for one of my pictues to post. I took a birding class in college 1953 as a filler and I have bird since.
http://idahobluebird50.wordpress.com
Jan 20, 2015 @ 20:12:09
I glad you liked my cardinal. I have so many male and females. I also love to watch Blue Jays. The body of our Blue Jays is similar to your Stellar Jay.
Jan 20, 2015 @ 21:25:47
I have never seen a bluejay. In the winter we getvan occasional one usually in Eastern Idaho.
Jan 21, 2015 @ 00:07:43
Very few now but cone spring