As I sat down at my desk to boot up my computer this morning I saw a bright red cardinal in the hydrangea tree outside my window.

Another Cardinal Morning

Luckily I had left my long (Canon 100-400 mm with 1.4 extender) lens on my camera yesterday. All I had to do was turn it on, pick it up, remove the lens cover, focus and shoot.

I managed to make three photos before the cardinal flew away. And all three of them were in focus! That’s pretty amazing when hand holding my camera with such a heavy lens.

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul, 
And sings the tune without the words, 
And never stops at all.

   — Emily Dickinson

It’s a small blessing beginning my day by seeing a cardinal. I love these cheerful birds. On my walks I often hear them high in the trees loudly singing their territorial songs. Sometimes I manage to catch a glimpse of them. But often all I get to enjoy is the sound of their song.

I wonder, what mother nature had in mind when she gave these beautiful birds their bright red plumage. This time of year they are a burst of brightness in an otherwise gray and brown world.

I will try.
I will step from the house to see what I see
and hear and I will praise it.
I did not come into this world
to be comforted.
I came, like red bird, to sing…

   — Mary Oliver

Wishing you a bright and beautiful day full of love and kindness.

May you walk in beauty.