cardinals

Attracting Cardinals to Bird Feeders – Which Feeder is Best?

Attracting Northern Cardinals, typically referred to as just Cardinals or Red Birds, to a bird feeder is fairly simple. considering they reside in the eastern half of the US, this is a popular feeder bird. but, attracting and holding them requires a correctly styled feeder sized appropriately to enhance your success rate of feeding this lovely bird.

We are often asked what feeder is best for Cardinals? of the feeders we produce, hands down the fly-through is the best choice. any open platform style feeder placed on the ground, pole mounted or hung from a hanging rope will attract this beautiful bird. since cardinals are relatively clumsy birds in comparison to others like Chickadees and Nuthatches, they prefer a feeder with an open, flat landing platform. hence, any open platform feeder will work but the fly through style feeder is positively the most preferred choice.

Fly through bird feeders come is an array of sizes. in essence, they are an open platform feeder with a protective roof typically supported by a set of vertical sides. any good fly through feeder will work well for cardinals but they tend to gravitate to smaller sized feeders. I personally believe they gain a sense of security in a more confined feeding space. A feeder having a short roof height and vertical roof supports placed close together produces this more confined area. any wild animal which feels secure in its feeding area will remain in that location and this is what we as birders desire.

Since the cardinal is always the first bird to arrive in the morning and the last to feed before dark, setting up a feeder targeting them is a very worthy endeavor. their early and late feeding habits will add that much more enjoyment to your birding world and I highly recommend making the effort to attract and hold these beautiful birds within your own yard.

The Cardinal Bird Feeder – What Works Best?

The intention of a cardinal bird feeder, of course, would be to attract the cardinal. This bird, of course, is probably the single most popular bird for backyard bird watchers. however, to the dismay of many, there really is no cardinal feeder per se. But, the bird certainly has both feeder and seed preferences. Let’s take a look

First, what doesn’t work that well.

The tube feeder is quite popular. however, don’t make the mistake of thinking it a favorite of the cardinal. I’ve been watching birds for years and years and I can tell you with complete certainty that this is not your best choice for the cardinal. he has virtually no neck and is forced to turn his whole body sideways to eat from a tube. in addition, he’s just a smidgen too big for most perches.

Some people will advise you to add a tray to the bottom. Granted, you will see the bird more often if you do this. Just keep in mind that Droll Yankees trays fit Droll Yankees tube feeders; Aspects trays fit Aspects tube feeders; Bird Quest trays fit Bird Quest tube feeders.

Do you know which brand you have?

Also, keep in mind that trays attract lots of other birds like grackles and starlings. if these birds visit your tube feeder, you won’t see many cardinals (or any other birds for that matter). keep in mind the purpose of a tube feeder is to provide for small birds like the tufted titmouse and Carolina chickadee.

Add a tray, in come the medium and large birds, away go the small birds-just like that, you’ve defeated the purpose of the tube.

So what does work?

A proper cardinal bird feeder is any feeder whose design accommodates the cardinal’s preference to bend at the hip or not at all when feeding. you want a feeder that doesn’t force the bird to turn its body. a basic hopper feeder is a great choice as a cardinal bird feeder. so is any fly-thru bird feeder (a fly-thru feeder is open on all sides and has ample space). Also, platform feeders on the ground are ideal cardinal feeders.

There are manufacturers of feeders who describe their product as cardinal feeder. The no-no is one such example. though this feeder does accommodate the cardinal, be careful many bird feeders do not do what the manufacturer claims.

The Droll Yankees squirrel proof feeder called the whipper is designed to be a cardinal feeder. The curved perch is a fantastic innovation that accommodates the bird perfectly. The Brome Care squirrel buster squirrel proof feeder, with its detachable ring, also serves the bird, though the bird does not appear as comfortable on this feeder as he does on the whipper (make no mistake, though, the Brome Care Product is equal and even superior to the Droll Yankees product in many ways).

Seed

What seed should you feed the cardinal? Hands down, safflower. This is a bitter tasting seed that squirrels, grackles and starlings tend not to eat.

If you don’t have these pests floating around, any quality bird seed will do. Black oil sunflower seed and sunflower hearts (chips) are favorites of the cardinal. He’ll eat most blends, too but don’t use big box blends–they’re full of filler that birds don’t eat.

I’ve seen cardinals eat fruit–you’ll need a fruit feeder for this.

So, what is my favorite cardinal bird feeder?

You know, my advise to bird watchers desiring to attract cardinals to get back to basics. I recommend either a wooden hopper feeder or a fly-thru platform feeder serve as their cardinal bird feeder.

If you follow this advise and are patient, I promise that you’ll be visited by this beautiful bird year round

Bulldogs fall to Cardinals in district title bout

Eudora High School hit on three big running plays, two in the first quarter and one in the fourth, as it won the Class 4A district crown Thursday night in Baldwin City.

Baldwin High and Eudora entered the game with 2-0 records in the district, but it was the Cardinals who left with the title. Eudora (8-1) beat Baldwin (6-3) 28-14.

“It would have been nice to have the home-field advantage Tuesday night, but we’re probably going to rematch Blue Valley Southwest from last year. It sounds like they won their district. I have to give Eudora credit. they are big up front an they have tough players, who run hard. we had a tough time tackling them tonight.”

Both teams advance to the 4A playoffs, which begin Tuesday. Eudora will play at home, while Baldwin will travel for its contest. both games will start at 7 p.m.

On Thursday, Eudora scored touchdown on three plays longer than 40 yards. the Cardinals broke runs of 41, 56 and 75 yards for scores. Baldwin had a long of its own for 68 yards by sophomore Chad Berg, who scored both touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

A 41-yard run by Eudora’s Chris Pyle sealed the victory late in the fourth quarter. He scored with 3:08 remaining in the game, giving Eudora a two-touchdown lead.

Score by quarter

Scoring summary

E — Chris Pyle 56 run (Derek Webb run converted)

E — Webb 4 run (Pyle run failed)

B — Chad Berg 68 run (Austin Kraus kick)

E — Gabe Cleveland 75 run (Nick Becker pass from Webb converted)

B — Berg 2 run (Kraus kick)

E — Pyle 41 run (Webb run failed)

Cardinals crush Rangers to take 2-1 World Series lead

ARLINGTON, Texas, Oct 22 (Reuters) – the St. LouisCardinals clobbered the Texas Rangers 16-7 with Albert Pujols(notes)blasting three home runs to take a 2-1 lead Saturday in thebest-of-seven World Series at Rangers Ballpark.

The Cardinals erupted for 13 runs between the fourth andseventh innings to bury the Rangers as slugger Pujols broke outof an 0-for-6 World Series slump with five hits, includingthree homers that drove in six runs.

Texas had answered four runs by St. Louis in the fourthwith three in their half, and matched the Cardinals’ three runsin the fifth to make it 8-6, but the Redbirds scored four inthe sixth and two more in the seventh to turn it into a rout.

Game Four of the Major League Baseball championship isSunday with the Rangers sending Derek Holland(notes) to the moundagainst Edwin Jackson(notes) of the Cardinals.

(Reporting by Larry Fine, Editing by Steve Ginsburg; Toquery or comment on this story )

Updated 6 hours, 32 minutes ago

MSU wins late; Wings routed; Cardinals blow out Rangers.

It was an instant classic in East Lansing Saturday night, with the Spartans’ Hail Mary prayer answered, albeit by instant replay in a 37-31 win over Wisconsin.

Michigan State watched a 14-point fourth quarter lead dissipate in the final minutes, only to have Kirk Cousins’ Hail Mary pass deflected, then caught, by Keith Nichol for the winning touchdown as time expired. Nichol caught the ball at the 1-yard line, and it was confirmed by replay that his forward progress broke the plane of the goal line.

Cousins finished 22-of-31 for 290 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Michigan State (6-1 overall, 3-0 big Ten) scored 23 points in the second quarter and 14 in the fourth.

It’s the second straight year the sixth-ranked Badgers brought an unbeaten mark into Spartan Stadium and left with their first loss.

Earlier Saturday, the Washington Capitals rolled over the Red Wings 7-1 Saturday in a meeting of the NHL’s last two unbeaten teams.

Mike Green and Matthieu Perreault scored twice for Washington. Niklas Kronwall had the lone goal for Detroit.

At Arlington, Texas, Albert Pujols hit home runs in three consecutive at-bats to lead St. Louis past the Texas Rangers, 16-7. the Cardinals took a two games to one lead in the World Series, which continues tonight.

The Wild CARDS St Louis Cardinals That Is

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the World Series again. this time as the Wild Cards

Just six seasons ago, the Cardinals took the World Series title and here they are again is a new dynasty starting? what is going on here? has anything changed from six years ago? And what are the constants that are making this team one of the finest in baseball?

As of August 25, the Cardinals were down by 10 and a half games coming into the wild-card slot. then in their last twenty games, they went 15-5 what a finish then on the last night of regular season play, America watched stupefied as the Atlanta Braves self-destructed.

1. is the Bullpen? you gotta be kidding a bunch of no-names Now, I have to admit, they rose to the occasion in grand style every time La Russa went to them, but really, World Series? come on During the series, the bullpen was 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA over twenty eight and two thirds innings. by the way, none of the St. Louis starters made it to the sixth inning in the entire playoffs. Go figure.

2. Was it just the Bumbling Brewers and the Buffoon Braves? Well, they made their share of mistakes, and just couldn’t seem to get it together, but come on. those are some formidable foes. in Game 5 there were 4 errors and 3 more in the sixth game.

3. how about Albert Pujols. Braun and Pujols had a bit of a tangle at third base, and Pujols appeared shaken up a bit, but kept playing. he fell on his right arm, but no major damage.

4. not to mention David Freese Hit a wild three-run homer in the very first inning that set the tone for the game, as well as helped determine the final outcome in that 12 to 6 game.

5. Momentum how is this for momentum? Albert Pujols gets thrown out at the plate when (Texas) Markum flips the ball out of his glove. Ouch But on the VERY NEXT PITCH Freese drives it out of the park, making it four nothing. No matter what the opposition did to them, the Cardinals just kept answering each adversity with another attack.

I am not sure if the Cardinals will win the Series, but I am sure of one thing: It has been awesome watching them battle back Baby

St. Louis Cardinals Edge Texas Rangers to Win Game 1 of World Series

Doug Pensinger, Getty Images

An Allen Craig pinch-hit RBI single in the 6th inning was the difference as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers 3-2 in Game 1 of the World Series.

Rangers RF Nelson Cruz (pictured) just missed catching the ball the by inches as the ball hit his left ankle after it bounced on the ground.

Rangers starter C.J. Wilson was pulled after 6 2/3 innings with men on first and third for Alexi Ogando.  David Freese had doubled and then advanced to third on a wild pitch.  Nick Punto then walked as Wilson was pulled.  Ogando worked the count to two strikes against Cardinals pinch hitter Allen Craig before he hit a fly ball that died just fair of the right field line, scoring Freese.

Dilip Vishwanat, Getty Images

The game’s scoring started when the Cardinals got out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th when Lance Berkman hit a 2-run single. Then the Rangers tied the game with a 2-run homer from Mike Napoli.

Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa used six different pitchers during the game.  Chris Carpenter pitched six innings to get the win and Jason Motte picked up the save.

“It was a great performance,” manager Tony La Russa said of Carpenter to MLB.com. “They’re a great hitting team. If you don’t make a lot of pitches, they’re going to bang you around. I thought early in the game as close as it was, for both pitchers the balls were very slick. they were having a little gripping thing but both of them just competed, and they both did a good job. The thing about Carp, he was exactly what we needed.”

Game 2 is tomorrow night at 7 o’clock at Busch Stadium.

World Series: Stuffed squirrel? Cardinals have a nutty way of winning

Milwaukee • Tony La Russa, who has seen just about everything, used words like freaky and overwhelming late Sunday night to describe how his St. Louis Cardinals won the National League championship series without a single starting pitcher working into the sixth inning.

“It’s very weird to be successful when your starters don’t do what they usually do,” La Russa said, drenched in Champagne and Budweiser after a 12-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 6. “I want to make sure anybody that I talk to understands — our starters helped get us here. Just a wacky postseason. Our relievers really had to show up, and they did.”

The Cardinals will host the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the World Series at Busch Stadium on Wednesday because of a punishing offense and a shutdown bullpen. their NLCS triumph was the first postseason series in which the winning team did not have a starter pitch past the fifth inning. The Brewers hit .346 off the Cardinals’ starters but .155 off the bullpen.

yet La Russa, as usual, made a valid point. In the first round against Philadelphia, the Cardinals won twice when facing elimination behind strong efforts from their starters. The finale was Chris Carpenter’s finest moment, a 1-0, three-hit shutout on the road against Roy Halladay. The relievers never left the bullpen that night, although a visitor did tumble in.

it was a stuffed squirrel, tossed to the Cardinals’ relievers by a fan and retrieved by Octavio Dotel. The game before, in St. Louis, an actual squirrel had darted across the plate, distracting the Phillies’ Roy Oswalt while he threw a pitch. Dotel adopted the stuffed version for good luck, giving it a home in his locker and toasting it with his teammates during Sunday’s celebration.

Grown men spraying alcohol on a stuffed squirrel? sure, why not? it makes as much sense as the Cardinals’ very presence in the postseason — they trailed Atlanta for the wild card by 10 1/2 games Aug. 25 — and their method of winning the NLCS. their relievers collected more outs than the starters, and La Russa made 28 pitching changes, an NLCS record.

“He’s great with his matchups,” left-hander Marc Rzepczynski said. “Tony’s not afraid to put anybody into a key situation.”

La Russa used six pitchers in Game 6, and only Rzepczynski gathered more than six outs. a former starter for Toronto, he worked 2 1/3 innings, allowing a hit and a run and earning his first victory since his trade to St. Louis on July 27. In his past seven playoff games, opponents are 2 for 18.

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Count on Rzepczynski and perhaps the other Cardinals left-hander, Arthur Rhodes, to face the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton in the World Series. La Russa has long been a master bullpen manipulator, and he has shown extraordinary faith in a bullpen that took months to come together.

Ryan Franklin, a former All-Star, lost his job by mid-April. Fernando Salas, who earned 24 saves, was the first reliever used in Game 6 — in the third inning. Dotel and Rzepczynski joined the team in July, Rhodes in August. The primary setup man in the NLCS was Lance Lynn, a rookie who came up as a starter, and the closer is Jason Motte, a converted catcher.

Motte ended the series by striking out mark Kotsay with a high fastball at 99 mph. The night before, over dinner with teammates, he had watched the Rangers’ Neftali Feliz close out the ALCS against Detroit.

“I was getting goose bumps sitting in the restaurant, thinking, man, that must be an awesome feeling,” Motte said. “And to be out there and be in that situation like that tonight, Yadi throwing his hands out, I don’t remember much after that. Yadi hugging me, me hugging him, next thing you know we’re on the ground and everyone on the team is standing over us.”

Yadier Molina, the catcher, has been in that position before, as the backup for the Cardinals’ 2004 NL champions and the starter for the 2006 World Series champions. He caught Motte’s last pitch and rushed to the mound, and Motte thrust his glove in the air before teammates toppled them.

Molina, Carpenter and Albert Pujols, this generation’s greatest hitter, have been teammates on all three recent pennant winners. The Cardinals tend to do things in threes — three pennants for the Bob Gibson/Lou Brock teams of the 1960s, three for the Ozzie Smith/Willie McGee teams of the 1980s, and three now for Carpenter, Molina and Pujols.

“This is not about me,” Pujols said. “This is about our team and helping our organization. That’s what I try to do every day.”

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Wintering Birds – Feeding

Bird Feeding in Winter with Recipes

Attract the wintering birds to your yard by offering them suet nourishment during cold weather. not only will you be doing a great service to birds, but you will learn from watching the birds that frequent your feeding area. Establishing a bird feeder that offers a diversity of food is the best choice. A suet cage or feeder is perfect for wintering birds. I know, suet? yuck BUT, it is the best choice for birds. You can still offer the traditional sunflower seed mix which is a great source of food year round, but consider purchasing a suet feeder and suet.or make your own suet for the birds (see recipes at the bottom the this article).

Suets may contain berries, peanut butter, insects, fat, nuts, cormeal, oatmeal, flour and of course seeds of any combination – all packed into a cake, log, ball or bell. Suet mixes will even attract birds that normally only eat bugs. Nuthatches, woodpeckers, starlings and chickadees love suet mixes

IF you choose a traditional feeder and seed alone, just be sure the feeder is weatherproof and can hang where it is safe from rain and snow.

This is a good tip for any kind of feeder, including a suet cage or basket.

It is also best to place food in a feeder which protects seed from bird droppings. as well, the birds should not be made vulnerable to predation or other hazards by careless placement of the bird feeder or suet feeder.

Did you know some kinds of leftovers or kitchen scraps can be given to birds? Breads, baked goods, fat – melt fat and add the dried bread or other baked goods to create your own suet ball or log. if you use PEANUTBUTTER, be sure to mix it with other fats and seeds to prevent CHOKING.

Have you thought about a heated birdbath in winter? birds will appreciate water to drink as well. Birds also use grit for digestion aid, so consider having dirt, sand, bits of salt or ground up eggshells near your bath. please see the Suet Recipes at the bottom of this article.

Did you know that some species have actually changed their winter habits and range because of bird feeding? in the Pacific Northwest you may notice Robins sticking around all year. That’s because of the abundance of food. as well, Evening Grosbeaks,Cardinals and other species have changed their wintering habits in areas around the United States and Canada.

Now, there are other issues to consider when feeding wintering birds. Squirrels, Cats, dogs and other animals that steal food or kill birds. Cats kill more birds than any predator but dogs can also be dangerous to birds so try not to place your feeder near where these animals frequent or where these animals can hide.

Be sure the feeders are close to natural hiding places for the birds but not other animals. Squirrel proof feeders that are set high on a feeding pole are a good choice.

Don’t place your feeder too close to the windows as birds are known to fly into windows and kill or injure themselves. keep checking the feeder and watching for issues. if you see a particular food or seed being ignored then you know not to keep including it.

When you establish a feeder (try keeping it in the same place so birds get used to travelling to it) you will get to know the birds that frequent your feeder. if you enjoy watching the birds, consider setting up a webcam or taking photographs of the birds to share with others.

Pinfeathers Bluebird Suet

Mix in a food processor or vigorously by hand:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup lard
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup flour
Chopped raisins, currants, nuts, dried fruit, eggshell (fine)
(you can use any or all of these last ingredients)

Place in a pan and cool. this can be cut up and placed in a suet cage or feeder.

Pinfeathers Suet Feed

1 cup vegetable shortening or lard
• 1 cup chunky peanut butter
• 2 cups regular unbleached or bleached flour
• 3 cups yellow cornmeal

You can add chopped nuts and fruits of your choice. Currants & raisins are popular.

Baseball-Cardinals manager La Russa wary of Texas ‘strangers’

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, anoted master of baseball detail, said a lack of first-handknowledge of the Texas Rangers bothered him heading intoWednesday’s opening game of the World Series in St. Louis.

Through a quirk of interleague scheduling and the distancebetween their spring training camps, the teams have not playedagainst one another in seven years.

“It’s a real issue for us,” La Russa told reporters duringTuesday’s workout day at Busch Stadium.

“But I think it’s the same issue knowing Ron (Texas managerWashington) some and (pitching coach) Mike Maddux and (benchcoach) Jackie Moore,” he added.

“You can take reports, you can take video, you can takecomments from players who have seen us play or whatever, but thebest preparation you have is to actually be in competition andwatch the way guys respond, and neither one of us have that.

“So we’re at the same place. It’s a little uncomfortable,but it’s uncomfortable for both, I think.”

Chris Carpenter, who takes the mound for St. Louis in GameOne, said the Cardinals were going from one extreme to the otherafter battling NL Central division foes Milwaukee in the leaguechampionship series.

The Cardinals split 18 meetings with the Brewers during theregular season before going six games in the NLCS to claim thepennant.

Carpenter, the only St. Louis starter to last five inningsduring the NL Championship Series, thought the lack offamiliarity could help Cardinals pitchers go deeper into gamesagainst Texas.

“I think we can be more consistent pitching, count-wise,getting quick outs,” he speculated.

“I think against the Brewers team, as many times as we facedthem, as much as we know about them and they know about us, Ithink the deeper you got into a game, you could see that it waskind of running out of ideas.”

La Russa leaned heavily on his bullpen, relying on hisrelievers to throw more innings than his starting pitchers.

“That’s what makes Tony so great,” said Carpenter. “He canrecognise that and make the moves that he did.”

Carpenter said building a strategy against the Rangers, whoclinched the American League pennant with a 15-5 bashing of theDetroit Tigers, could be tricky.

“We’ll come up with a game plan, and you’ve got to makepitches. It’s who’s going to be able to execute the most,” hesaid.

“Not only that, but hopefully when you make good qualityexecuted pitches, these guys, that are obviously really goodhitters, don’t do damage with them.

“They’re supposed to do damage with the ones that aren’tgood. You’ve got to keep them off the ones that are good.”

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