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Cardinals

ERIC BÉGIN/FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

This episode originally aired on January 5, 2016  

What bird is often the first to visit a feeder in the morning and the last to stop by and grab a bite at night? Bird enthusiasts all know it’s the northern cardinal.

Easily recognizable because of the male’s stunningly red plumage, the northern cardinal is responsible for getting more people to open up a field guide than perhaps any other bird. It’s a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness and style with a shade of red you can’t take your eyes off of. Even the light brown females sport a sharp, triangular crest and warm red accents.

W. Brooks Paternotte took the helm of Irvine Nature Center as executive director in July 2013 and immediately began building on the strong 35-year foundation. Brooks is a Baltimore native who was a teacher, coach, advisor, dean and Head of the Middle School during his 13 years at Boys’ Latin School in Baltimore. He is also an instructor and ambassador of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and is a Leave No Trace Master, as well as an avid outdoorsman and a features writer for FlyLife Magazine.