Feeding Frenzy

When someone says, "You eat like a bird," most people would take that as a compliment. I watch birds eat. That ain't no compliment! It's pure entertainment to fill the feeders, plop into my oversize Luv sac and watch what happens. This morning we were sans squirrels. They must be sleeping in. The cardinals were here in all their glory eating the safflower seeds that I bought especially for them. Because they are too big to eat comfortably at the feeder (they have to stand sideways and flutter their wings to dip their heads into the feed slot) I leave their seed in a little pile at the edge of the balcony. They perch in the pine tree, eye the seeds and looking every direction to make sure they are safe, hop onto the balcony, grab a seed and fly back to the safety of the tree to consume their morsel. They rarely come alone. They come in pairs, I suppose to watch each others back. This morning I had a male and a female eating for nearly 15 minutes! The female seems to be a little more brave, and will sometimes stand on the edge of the balcony to eat her seed. She faces the tree while she eats, so is always turning around to get seed and eat seed. I get a pretty good view of her, and rarely tire of watching.