Cardinal in Snow

A pair of Cardinals has recently taken up residence in our yard. They were infrequent visitors over most of the winter, but I noticed them more often the past few weeks and especially during last week’s snow storm.

Today, the male settled in at the bird feeder on the covered front porch and made himself at home while chasing off the other residents. Even the more aggressive Carolina Wren was no match when it came time to stake out a claim to the seed.

I’m glad that these beautiful red birds have returned to the yard. Even though they may keep some of the others songbirds at bay, having their bright red colors flitting around the dull, brown yard brightens up the day on a blustery, March afternoon.

This image was edited in Color Efex Pro using the Detail Extractor, Contrast and Border filters.