This is a really moving and inspiring comic! I really felt for the cardinal when it was angrily reading the book, and then felt so happy for it when it was enjoying the admiration of the Oregonians. Wholesome!
Am Australian, can confirm. Seeing my first wild cardinal and bluejay were like what seeing an echidna or koala for the rest of the world would be like (except I went to them, rather than them come to me like the comic)… You’ve seen them on TV, now there they are IRL, like meeting a celebrity.
Was very special seeing a squirrel for the first time, and a woodpecker. Growing up in the southern hemisphere isn’t just cool for the unusual animals we have, but for the ‘common’ animals we don’t.
I love it when I’m on a road trip and can get a photo of me next to the “welcome to this state” sign. It’s not an easy task. Rarely are those signs positioned in tourist photo-friendly places.
Usually along a high-speed highway with no place to turn out and park. So you just zoom by it and wish you could have taken a picture.
It’s especially great that they aren’t migratory birds, so you get to see these fattened little red fluffballs all winter. They really look striking against the snow.
Same with robins, they’re an incredibly common bird, but they are also so handsome.
I miss hearing cardinals quite a lot. I moved from the Midwestern US to western Canada and have enjoyed learning the new birds (even bought the Audubon western bird guide to go with my old copy of eastern). I haven’t seen a Cardinal at all out here, but they’ve been photographed on rare occasions. I’m honestly just thankful that we still get robins every spring. It’s a nice reminder of home.
I live right at the northern tip of their range. I’d never seen one in person until 2 years ago. Now they’re a common sight in my back yard, and it’s amazing.
I super didn’t expect them to sound like car alarms, though.
I love my blue jays so much! They’re corvids like crows and ravens, so they are very smart and have tons of personality.
They became my buddies over Covid and I’ve gotten to watch them raise their families. They’ll call each other when they see me outside and sit in me tree and wait for me to bring them snacks. They’ll all approach in different ways, some braver, some more shy. They’ll discipline the young ones. The young ones will play with each other. They make many more calls than the harsh jeer call. They’ll do a little bobbing dance for me or each other when they’re excited.
They’ve never picked on the other songbirds. The only things I’ve seen them get upset about were crows and hawks. Though 2 did get into it with each other pretty good once.
They’re really great animals once you get over the stereotypes of them, and they are one of the things I miss every day about having to take a new job where I can’t be at home and interact with them throughout the day.
Of course, I’m mostly joking. I feel like many people who live in areas with both cardinals and blue jays are told when we’re young that they don’t get along very well and we just pick a side and stick to it lol. I love seeing blue jays too, or any corvids really. Much better than seeing all the invasive birds in my area like European starlings.
Yes, the starlings are the only ones I have to constantly remind myself that I don’t really hate them. 😂 At the end of winter they really start to destroy my feeder station.
I bought into the blue jays scorn since I grew up being told they were jerks, but it changed one day when I decided to offer one a peanut. I’ve got 7 pretty regular bird buds now.
My cardinals are pretty shy, but this year a mating pair of them learned they can get the peanuts too. I don’t see them near as much, but the lady cardinal is the more aggressive of the 2 when it comes to getting food and she will try to beat the jays too them occasionally and she can hold her own if she really wants that treat!
If you want to see more birds, both my bad pictures, but many more good ones taken but actual photographers, check out !superbowl for my daily posts. Lots of cool photos, and some great bird facts.
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