Last weekend I came home to the sound of young cardinals persistently calling Mom to come feed them. The noise was coming from a tree in our front yard, and when I peeked carefully in, I spotted the nest in a pile of moss at the very top of the tree. I backed quietly away, not wanting to scare the birds.

Luckily for me, the nest was right outside a window. I went inside, quietly shoved aside some furniture, and spent a happy afternoon watching the young family. Rich came in wondering if I had lost my mind. Then he gasped “babies!” and became mesmerized himself.

There were three babies in the nest. Mom and Dad flew back and forth, bringing in small bugs for the babies to eat. I’ve never photographed a cardinal nest before and I thought the results were precious…