LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Not all Babies are Beautiful

We love seeing the fledglings and juvenile birds that grow up in our woods.  We often can tell them apart.  We have one juvenile cardinal that looks rather strange.  I'm not sure what it is about the bird, but it is goofy-looking.  Clearly able to feed itself, the parents of this large baby are still feeding it.  Perhaps it looks weird because the bird is so much bigger than either parent.

I wish the bird had turned around.  The frontal view is the one that makes it look weird.





 My husband calls this bird a "special needs cardinal."

I do hope your weather is as good as ours.  Beautiful sunny days and crisp cool mornings.

16 comments:

The Bug said...

LOL - Special Needs Cardinal - too funny. I hope he figures out how to feed himself though!

NanaNor's said...

I'm so glad his parents are still feeding it-usually if there is anything wrong with a baby, the parents will let it die. Hopefully this one will live a good life.

Busy Bee Suz said...

I bet he is just a sweetie too!
Our weather? Hot, humid and hot. yuck.
We are always the last to feel the changes. Enjoy!

Taradharma said...

I love "special needs cardinal!' So very PC of him! Maybe you'll get another crack at a photo of him from the front.

Yes, the weather is turning....last night we had lightning and thunder and a bit of gentle warm rain (up in the mountains above Sacramento). Autumn in this part of the world is lovely: the light, the leaf fall, the marshes, the birds.

Janet said...

We have many of these ugly ducklings around our home. I love them... Even if they do look a bit scruffy!

Ms. A said...

We had a taste of cooler and are now back to hot... and still dry, dry, dry.

Anonymous said...

It will be interesting to see what becomes of this little one. If they are not well, they usually disappear. Maybe this one just has a few feathers out of place, a survivor of some mishap? Wishing it well and a long life.

Our weather is really starting to feel like fall. Even a few leaves have started to turn. Sigh. Lovely and beautiful, but we know what's coming!

LOVE, MERCY AND GRACE...GOD'S GRACE said...

Awww...how sweet!! A "special needs cardinal"....

We are looking at some cooler weather for this weekend! I can not wait! It has been so hot this summer! I'm truly ready for fall!!

animal lover, quilt lover said...

That is cute-- a special needs cardinal!!!!
We have a lot of cardinals round here b/c we feed the birds.
It is hot and humid around here!! Of course we are in Fla.
Good idea about the foam!!!
Tinker & Fern

Rudee said...

Special needs cardinal? He may be a slacker instead! Oh, the birds of his generation just don't get it, do they? If you want something, you need to work for it.

Ginnie said...

That's a sweet little bird ... I guess they can't all be star quality.
I think we're in for some nice cool weather...I'm ready.

Wendy said...

He's cute! Love your pics. I never get bird pics, they move too quickly. LOL!
Found you by way of Cheryl.

Folkways Note Book said...

It sems to me that ever so often mother nature makes an odd one -- maybe an albino in some mammal or an odd one like your cardinal. I have a feeling he/she will survive just fine -- it just might not get many dates. --- barbara

KB said...

Your husband has a good sense of humor. It sounds very odd that the baby is bigger than its parents yet still being fed. If you weren't so expert, I'd wonder if it could possibly be something other than a cardinal fledgling that had its egg deposited in the cardinals' nest. But, I'm sure that's just a completely crazy idea.

It sure is goofy looking!

Ruth said...

We have a juvenile Cardinal at our feeder every morning with its very bedraggled parents (they are molting) It looks huge compared to the adults but it still chirps to be fed. I have noticed the adults ignoring it more the past couple of days. We had a nest 2 years ago on our property and I thought the Cardinal fledglings were pretty much the ugliest little creatures. But they sure grow magnificently!

Carolina Linthead said...

I'm commenting here because I don't want to detract from the painfully serious topic on your latest post, but I have some pics of a beautiful baby on my blog that you will enjoy, especially given your home town :-)