A Cardinal's Courtship (Patagonia, AZ)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

Here's to the NEW YEAR!  To new beginnings and great adventures.  To new friends and new family members.  To happiness and health to you and your family...may it be a good one for all.

~ A Cardinal's Courtship

Have you ever seen the courting between two Cardinals?  We have been honored and entertained with watching two bachelors trying to court/impress Miss Available Cardinal.  

Meet Bachelor #1: a handsome fellow.  We are not sure if he wants to impress the Miss or eat.  He seems a little shy and flies away when Bachelor #2 lands in the same tree.

Meet Bachelor #2: a very serious looking fellow with courtship on his mind.

He looks like he means business, doesn't he?

And here is the lovely little lady - Miss Cardinal.  She's a beauty, heh?

Here she is letting the sun filter through her head feathers giving her such a healthy glow.

I wasn't having much luck with getting the actual courtship dancing.  It is quite a sight to see.  If you happen to catch the Seinfeld episode where Elaine dances...that's what a male's courtship dance looks like - a disjointed, knee-jerking, very spastic, and "Totally Uncool Dude!" movements.  I did catch a few shots of them leaping from limb to limb...

Unimpressed, Miss Cardinal decided to get a snack and come back to see if the show was getting any better.

How about levitation?

I wonder...can birds yawn?  Doesn't she look a little bored?  Actually, I think she is eyeing the feeder.  "Hmm, I wonder if there is time for another snack...."

 Finally, Bachelor #1 decided he had had enough for the moment and flew away.

Well, no decision made today.  Miss Cardinal flew away and soon Bachelor #2 followed after her.    

Will Miss Cardinal choose one of these fine feathered males or is there a third one lurking out there?  Oh, I hate cliff-hangers!