The Eastern Phoebes returned to their nest site to discover a juvenile Cardinal Intruder.  There is no doubt from the watching the scene unfold, this was an intruder appalled by the homeowners’ return!  Momma Phoebe was the first to return home.  The Cardinal glared at her as if to say:  “How dare you intrude upon my invasion of your home?!”  The Phoebe perched calmly on the edge of the platform, flicking her tail.  She made little eye contact and engaged in no threatening behavior.  I guess “my” Phoebes are not particularly surprised by intruders.

I’ll let the video tell the remainder of the story.  Let’s just say:  Daddy Phoebe did not adopt his mate’s calm approach to the intrusion.

 

In Future Posts

I chose to share the juvenile Cardinal video as a bit of a segue into a series highlighting many of the birds visiting this property.  Birds will be highlighted mostly by species, but sometimes in color groups.  The series will be called “At My Feeders“.  This time of year, especially, it’s pretty hard to tell who is who.  Typically:  Males are one color.  Females are another color.  Juveniles are some combination thereof.  If you add molting to the picture, then the Who’s Who question can spin your head.  Bring in the aspect of color families and, again, it often takes a minute to figure out who is who.

I can’t promise I’ll always get it right, but I’ll do my best.  If, along the way, you disagree with any of my conclusions, please let me know.  We’ll figure it out together!