I still get excited when I see a brilliant red flash shoot past me into the treeline. They may be reasonably common here in North Florida, but the Northern Cardinal is still a lot of fun.
Today while walking along the lakeside park I spotted an elusive Northern Cardinal male that was very playful. He sang and played while hopping between branches.
He finally settled down for a few minutes where I had a clear shot, but it was quite a distance.
I zoomed in as best I could at 300mm with my current basic lens.
Several times he leaned heavily forward looking at something. I think it was his girlfriend he was trying to find, i found her later (see below).
Apologies for the low quality photos, I hope to share better Northern Cardinal shots soon.
The female - most likely his mate.
She was also very elusive.
Not the best shot but it provided the best direct image of her.
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