Photo of male cardinal by Patrice Boucher from Unsplash

Photo of female cardinal by Joshua Cotten from Unsplash

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Cardinals at the Palm Palace

Three small eggs,

pale blue flecked with brown

in a nest

made with love,

so exquisitely woven,

softly lined with grass.

Like a queen

in your palm palace,

self-assured

on your throne,

faithful cardinal mother

keeping your eggs warm.

We watched you

weaving your fine nest,

discovered

your blue eggs.

Pretty Mama, we share your

anticipation!

Very soon

your handsome husband

will help you

feed hatchlings…

King and Queen in your green realm,

reigning together.

We will watch

as hatchlings become

fledgelings, sprout

new feathers…

wobbly, but growing stronger,

flapping tiny wings.

Sometime soon,

comes the day they fly.

Under the

watchful eyes

of their parents, they’ll practice.

Soon, they’ll fly away!

We will watch

flapping tiny wings,

self-assured.

Someday soon,

King and Queen in your green realm…

Soon, they’ll fly away!

The cardinals’ nest, the “Palm Palace” is located among the fronds in the back of the tree on the left. We have a clear view of the nest from the window.

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Copyright© 2024 by Cheryl Batavia

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Northern Cardinals

Northern cardinals live in North America. They are the predominate bird in our neighborhood. A pair of cardinals have a nest in our little palm tree that is clearly visible from our window. The mother bird is sitting on three eggs.

From my research, I learned that they raise two families a year. I think this is the second nest. We have not seen the father yet. He is probably at the first nest feeding the hatchlings while his wife is sitting on eggs in the second nest. When the eggs hatch, he should be here to help feed the hatchlings their diet of insects.

Robert and I made a feeder, hung it on a shepherd’s crook, and filled it with black oil sunflower seeds, supposedly the favorite treat of cardinals. We also put out water on a stand. So far, there is no evidence that the birds are using it. Thank you, Joanna of naturetails, for your advice on providing both food and water.

I meant to post this before Easter, but WordPress problems have slowed me down. Anyway, I hope everyone had a happy Easter and a lovely weekend! I am getting the computer problems worked out, but I still may not be able to “like” for a while. I appreciate your patience.