Before we moved to our current location over 20 years ago, male and female cardinals visited my bird feeders on a regular basis. I always enjoyed seeing the bright red color of the males and the beautiful brownish-green tinged female cardinals savoring the sunflower seeds. In fact, I took it for granted that the cardinals would live wherever I lived.
However, such was not the case. At least 2 years passed and I still had no cardinals visiting my bird feeders near our new home in the wooded foothills. I assumed that they would automatically attract each other just by providing sunflower seeds, but I was wrong!
After much research, I came up with a simple plan that would not fail to attract my beloved red birds.
1. Provide your favorite foods
two. Provide a source of clean water throughout the year
3. Install plants that offer protection from bad weather and good protection from predators
Four. Give them a safe place to build their nest.
5. Create a small patch of coarse sand to provide grit
1. Northern Cardinal Favorite Foods:
cracked corn
Black Oil Sunflower Seed
dried cherries
DRIED PUMPKIN SEEDS OR MELON SEEDS (a treat they can’t resist)
apple slices
theme
A special cardinal mix is available that contains dried cherries, cracked corn, safflower seeds, and sunflower hearts. It’s pretty expensive so I like to buy the biggest bag I can and then add it to my sunflower seeds. Mix them so that they are interspersed. This will give your birds special little food treasures amongst your regular black oil sunflower seeds.
My method for drying seeds.: Save the seeds of melons, pumpkins and courgettes.
On top of a thick layer of newspaper lay a sheet of waxed paper. Then spread your seeds so they are far apart from each other. Let them sit for several days until they are completely dry. Remove from wax paper and store in sealed jars in the refrigerator. Add a handful at a time to the seeds in your bird feeder for a special treat.
Cardinals enjoy feeding at dusk and dawn when other birds have finished eating for the day or have not yet started. They prefer to dine alone without competition from other birds. So make sure there is enough food left in the feeders at the end of the day for your cardinals!
two. provide a birdbath with a low voltage heater in winter. Be sure to keep the drinking water clean and free of ice, as cardinals enjoy bathing to keep their feathers in good condition.
3. Protect Cardinals by providing shelter:
Brambles such as blackberries and/or raspberries
Trellis climbing roses, clematis and other dense vines
grape tree
Holly bushes or trees
Northern Cardinal eggs and chicks are preyed upon by many animals and birds, including hawks, owls, blue jays, thrushes, squirrels, snakes, and chipmunks.
They prefer dense, spiny bushes and shrubs in which to seek shelter from predators, who are much less likely to venture into a painful or nearly impenetrable tangle of vines and sharp thorns.
Four. Provide cardinals with a safe habitat in which to build their nests.
Cardinals mate for life, often building 2 or more nests in a season. The same plants used as shelter from predators and bad weather will provide good protection for their eggs and chicks. The female cardinal is a skilled nest builder, probably because she does it so often!
She and her mate collect dead grass blades, small twigs, bits of vine, and strips of bark to make a loose, cup-shaped nest in which to lay 3-4 blue-green and white eggs. Using her beak, she deftly smoothes the nest material until it is flexible enough to form the desired shape with her beak and legs.
5. If you have space, add a small litter box from which the cardinals can get the sand they need to help grind up the seeds and grains they eat. This process occurs in their crop or throat and aids in their ability to break down and digest the food they eat.
Very soon after I began offering the cardinal mix and dried melon seeds, I was thrilled to see my first cardinals. I had also added a trellis to the wild roses that grew on the west side of my garden; and started a small patch of heather in the backyard that is visited by many birds. Adding a birdbath with a heater ensures that my cardinals and many other birds have essential fresh water year-round.
Now I am so happy to hear the joyful cries of the cardinals as they approach the bird feeders late in the day and early in the morning. In winter, especially when it is cold and sunny and there is a blanket of snow on the ground, they appear during the day. They love to forage on top of the snow for fallen seeds and cracked corn. It’s a sight that makes the long winter that much easier to bear!