We're All About Birds, for All Seasons

June

So, you have baby birds hopping around your yard, bald cardinals are appearing at your feeder and is it even possible that your annual robin is building ANOTHER nest?  Yep.  It must be June!

First, don't worry about the gorgeous male cardinal who know looks like he met up with Sylvester the Cat.  Even cardinals have male-pattern baldness.  It's typical at this time of year for them to lose many, and sometimes even all of their head feathers.  They'll grow back in over the next six weeks, but until then they're definitely a candidate for ugly bird of the month club.  HOWEVER, if you see a bald cardinal during the fall or winter, you'll want to monitor its health; it could be a parasite infestation.  Cornell's Lab of Ornithology has a great photo of a male cardinal trying to impersonate a vulture.

And those baby birds ?  Unless your neighbor doesn't keep his or her cats indoors, or you have feral cats around, the birds will be just fine.  Most birds live on the ground for 4-5 days during their "fledgling" stage.  Watch carefully and you'll see the parents flitting back and forth with food while encouraging it to fly.  It'll start with short flights, move into nearby shrubs and next thing you know it'll be flitting around your yard.  If the bird does have an unfortunate incident with a cat, dog or other animal, and become injured, just take it to the Wildlife Rehab Center of Minnesota in Roseville.  They have an avian nursery full of baby birds and know how to care for it.

Be sure to check out recent sightings and learn more about warblers, bluebirds and cardinals in our Bird Basics section .