Bird lore - Project Puffin

Cardinals Through the Year 291
During all this season the male brought food for the young more faithfully
than his mate, hunting back and forth in the pasture grass, bringing chiefly
worms. They left the nest June 13.
They were sturdy youngsters, with their pert topknots giving them a
saucy look. The illustrations of the young in Mrs. Porter's 'Song of the
Cardinal' are excellent. They cling well to branches, and none has ever
been lost in a storm or by a prowling enemy.
When the young were a month old they got about on the ground and
learned to bathe and to hunt for food, but not successfully until they were
about six weeks of age. They helped themselves to bread and milk in the
chicken-pan, and, at seven weeks, one managed to eat a big locust.
At the age of four weeks the males showed a decided addition of coloring,
and at ten weeks the dark beak showed color at the base. They were noisy
youngsters, the three often coming to the table by the window, all clamoring
at once until satisfied.
After the young had been out of the nest three or four days they flew well.
The old birds would call them together at dusk and lead the way into a close-
headed maple across the street, where with much 'talk' they would settle for
the night.
On June 24 the pair were again 'talking' of nesting, and built in the porch
vines.
The male cared for the first brood, not forgetting his brooding mate, but
with the second brood to care for, the first became a nuisance. When they
could not be driven away, the male would resort to strategy. When followed
to the nest, he rarely gave up the worm. He would sometimes fly a short dis-
tance, wait for the young to follow, then take a long sweep over the trees,
returning later, alone.
As the season advanced, his song was no less joyous but much less frequent,
except when his mate was building. The search for food continued with never
a day, nor hour, of rest.
July 25, without spending much time helping with this second brood, or
much prehminary 'talk,' the mother bird built again in the trumpet-vine.
August 6 there was trouble with some Jays, and broken eggs were on the
ground. Another nest in a nearby rosebush was abandoned soon after.
August 14 she went over into the adjoining pasture and built in the lower
limb of a small locust. When the male would call in distress, we knew what
it meant. She seemed to understand, and sat perfectly still on her nest, allow-
ing us to come very close to 'shoo' either a Jay or Blackbird away. Some-
times the male, fretting on a nearby tree, when danger was past would give a
long, happy whistle before he returned to his 'bug'-hunting.
The first brood rarely came about, and were driven away at once when
they appeared. The second set, now a month old, were noisy and hungry, the
days hot and dry. Life was not all song for the Cardinals.