Nature Red in Tooth & Claw (and beak)

The two cardinals-- one the duller brown, larger female and the other the gaudy red male--flit and land on the lower branches of the mountain laurel just outside my window. They move like predators--tiny dinosaurs searching out unwary bugs, or lizards. They peck, hop, flutter wings. The female fusses with a branch of the tree that has some discarded Spanish moss taking stubborn hold-- she is more stubborn than the moss and gets a mouthful of moss, which she flies off with.

I see them all the time now. Sometimes I wonder if they're still looking for that lost fledgling from months ago, drug in by the cat, redeposited outside underneath some dry leaves after its death. I haven't seen their new nest, a new fledgling to fuss over. Summer is rapidly moving into Fall and less time to raise another egg to maturity before winter's danger.

The birds range from tree to tree. They are a matched pair, always together. You rarely see one without the other being nearby. There has been a pair of cardinals living in this area for as long as we have lived in this house-- at least 10 years. I'm sure it is not the same pair-- how long to birds live? But these are most likely descendents of the first pair I spotted, years ago.

We also sometimes will get hummingbirds and I have installed a purple glass hummingbird feeder just outside the other living room window. We used to get one tuxedoed bird who would perch in the trees above and swoop down on any other bird that came near what he considered HIS feeder.

When I watch these birds, I always feel soothed, calmed. They may be little predators, viciously swooping down on their prey with no remorse, but I find them beautiful. Still, it's sort of funny the way we pick and choose to like one sort of species over another because they're pretty, ignoring the viciousness that all wild animals are capable of. I certainly don't feel the same affection for the rats that race across our back fence in the twilight hour. When I brought this up with a friend, they said "Yeah but rats carry disease & germs". Well, so do birds (granted, not nearly as bad, generally, but still they do! West Nile is a birdborn disease)....

What explains our attraction to birds (sans vultures-- I don't think anyone thinks they're pretty) as opposed to other animals? Probably the flight thing. Because we all envy the ability to soar above the trees, to escape the earth to go wherever at the drop of a feather. Why some of our best music is related to flying (ah yes, "Freebird"... and yes, I consider it a "best." Don't laugh. I told you some people would think I had appalling taste in music).

Those two cardinals, though, remind me a bit of myself and Andrew right now. He is the hard working one, looking around for possibilities, building nests, while I'm fussing over the finer points, the comforts (a little moss to line and make softer). Only I'm definitely the prettier one. :)