There was a dead female cardinal laying near my car.  I could not tell how it died by looking at it but I felt sorry for it.  Usually when you see a cardinal its mate is somewhere nearby.  Cardinals mate for life and somewhere was a male cardinal who must have been mourning its death.  I hope it is able to find a new mate.

The brightly red colored cardinal (the male of course) still takes my breath away.  Every time.  It is one of the most beautiful song birds I have ever seen.  I was amazed when my friends could not identify it when it crossed the road right in front of us.  (They live in NYC.)  I also love hearing it sing.  It is still one of my favorite song birds.  And still relatively common.

When I see the bird feed on the ground there are generally two at one time–his drably colored female is usually with him.  They mate for life.  As a rule they are somewhat cautious and flush easily.  It is always a treat for me to see the male.