Young cardinals

My garden is full of juvenile Northern Cardinals just now and most of them show up at the feeders late in the day to have a snack before settling down for the night. I sat and watched my backyard feeders just after the sun went down today and I counted at least six juveniles among the several cardinals that gathered there.

Although the light was fading fast, I decided to try to record some of them with the camera.

Several of the birds gathered on the ground under the feeders to look for fallen seeds, but this little lady chose to take an easier route and settled on one the feeders.

Meanwhile, a young male perched on top of the feeder.

This young male surveyed the scene from a perch in a nearby crape myrtle tree.

In a few weeks, all of these birds will have completed their first molt and will be sleek and beautiful in the colors of their adulthood. I look forward to watching them make that transition.