Babies or juveniles?

It was so exciting to see these youngsters-- 

could they be from the nest that was discovered several months ago?

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It looks like a juvenile female above and with more information it was for sure.  

Young males, as they are developing, look like grown females.  And as time went on it did become apparent that this was a female.

And then along came this juvenile male above--no problem identifying this guy!

It was a little disappointing to realize that these birds are about a year old,
based on information that I found.  The cardinals usually mate for life and have up to 4 broods a year.

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Baby Cardinals At About Six Weeks!!!

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At about six weeks old--don't know if it is a female or male?

A young northern male cardinal resembles a full grown female until it reaches maturity.

The adult male does the feeding so the female can go off and build another nest for the next brood.

It was a great treat to watch this baby grow and learn.

What a sight to watch almost on a daily routine.

Little guy trying to figure out how to get on the bird feeder from the tree...

It was comical to watch him figure this out!
He finally got on the top of the feeder
but didn't work out how to get to the seed.

 A few days later he finally had learned to get down to where it could get the seeds for himself.

The pictures are a little distorted because the feeder is on the outside of the fence.

Happy little male cardinal! 

 

Brave enough to come over the fence to the bird bath for a drink!

The finishing touch for this sequence was when the young female cardinal decided to display herself.
These two youngsters have been followed from the nest until now, and I'm still watching!

The little miss had no trouble getting from the tree to the feeder!

In a few months the color will fill in and the beak will be red!

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Visit to The David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage

It has been two years since we were at the orphanage in Nairobi, but with our plans to return soon,

it is time to reflect on their wonderful work with injured and abandoned babies.

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The first visit is always a little overwhelming so the camera is almost forgotten about.

But the few pictures bring back the flood of memories!

These little guys are who we have been sponsoring for a few years and intend to continue!

It is so rewarding knowing that you can make a little bit of difference.

This is Ngilai two years ago.  Once a month we watch for the newsletter from the The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust because we can't wait to read about the antics of our little guys and the rest of the gang!

 And this is little Murit.  When all the baby elephants came running back to the stockades after being out in the Nairobi National Park for the day--the scene is awesome!  

Anyone who is looking for a place to help with wildlife conservation--The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a perfect place to help and visit, and if you can't visit the newsletters will take you there!  You can expect to see much more about the Trust, with many pictures, early next year. 

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The Babies Look Like Cardinals! Oops

A Young Female and a Male
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 It was pure excitement finding a cardinal's nest with the two babies but it was disappointing to find out that the chicks leave the nest within 9 to 11 days.
They left the nest looking like any other baby birds. This young cardinal must be from an earlier brood (since a cardinal pair have 3 to 4 broods a year).  It was easy to tell that this cardinal is a young one because he was not sure of himself yet!

 He finally did make it to the feeder but if a bigger bird came in he would fly into the tree and wait.

And yet another surprise: a young female showed up!

Until the young northern male cardinals reach maturity their coloring is similar to the fully grown female.  At 12 months the male usually begins molting and makes the transition to its beautiful red plumage

A key coloration difference in the babies are their beaks (black).  When the youngsters reach about 12 months old the transition to the next color phase--red!

These young birds are still around, eating from the feeders, hanging out in the trees and hopping around the patio furniture in the back yard!
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