A pair of cardinals currently is feeding young in a large spirea bush just outside our kitchen window. Nest construction began 8/5, completed 8/6, incubation underway by 8/10. At least one nestling had hatched by last Tuesday (8/23) when at different times each parent was observed feeding it/them over the course of the day. Nest is quite well built & sturdy and they seem to be diligent parents. The nest is so close to the window (maybe 2' away, at eye level) that we try to stay away and not watch them too closely - plus nest unusually has high sides and we can't see what's inside yet anyway.
According to Birds of the World, nestlings generally fledge at 9 or 10 days, and can "fly strongly" a week after that but still depend on their parents for help with food. They "attain independence from parental feeding 25–56 days after fledging." Since they don't migrate, perhaps they don't need to mature as early in the season - they don't need to bulk up for a long flight, just learn how to find food so they can get through the winter and whatever they might learn in summer won't do them that much good come November or January anyway. The current Breeding Bird Atlas Breeding Guidelines Bar Graph <https://is-ebird-wordpress-prod-s3.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/79/2020/01/Breeding-Guideline-Bar-Chart_20200131.pdf> lists N. Cardinals are "B" (Breeding) through mid-August and "E" (either migration or breeding, which in their case presumably means either dispersal or breeding) through the end of October. On 8/28/2022 10:05 PM, Dave Nutter wrote: > Twice this afternoon a female Northern Cardinal flew toward my > birdfeeder carrying a substantial white object in her bill. Both times > the cargo was a fecal sac, which she dropped where I could see it > clearly when she perched a couple feet away from the feeder before she > perched on the feeder and fed briefly on sunflower seeds. Probably > there are folks reading this who know better than I, and I’m > interested in your opinions, but it seems to me that August 28 is > pretty late to have nestlings, which is what her activity indicated. > Late or normal, it was cool to witness. > > - - Dave Nutter > -- > *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* > -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
