Birds of a Feather: Northern Cardinal Traditional Cache
Vertighost: Since there has been no response by the cache owner within the time frame requested in the last reviewer note, I have archived this cache. Please note that caches that have been archived for maintenance issues or lack of cache owner communication are not eligible to be unarchived.
Birds of a Feather: Northern Cardinal
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is number 28 in a series of caches dedicated to my two favorite hobbies. Geocaching and Birding. Both require you to go get out of the house and do some walking. While out geocaching I easily get distracted by birds that I encounter, but it makes the experience that much more enjoyable. Each of these caches are placed in an area where there is a heavy concentration of birds or a certain species of birds that I think people would enjoy learning more about and seeing first-handed. So if you have a pair of binoculars, bring them along with your pen for some close up views.
This cache is dedicated to a truly beautiful bird, the Northern Cardinal. This local park attracts all kinds of birds, while doing some cache maintenance nearby I spotted a Cardinal flying near here.
The male Northern Cardinal is perhaps responsible for getting more people to open up a field guide than any other bird. They’re a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red you can’t take your eyes off. Even the brown females sport a sharp crest and warm red accents. Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they’re still breathtaking in winter’s snowy backyards. In summer, their sweet whistles are one of the first sounds of the morning.
The Northern Cardinal is a fairly large, long-tailed songbird with a short, very thick bill and a prominent crest. Cardinals often sit with a hunched-over posture and with the tail pointed straight down. Male cardinals are brilliant red all over, with a reddish bill and black face immediately around the bill. Females are pale brown overall with warm reddish tinges in the wings, tail, and crest. They have the same black face and red-orange bill.
Northern Cardinals tend to sit low in shrubs and trees or forage on or near the ground, often in pairs. They are common at bird feeders but may be inconspicuous away from them, at least until you learn their loud, metallic chip note.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
va gur cevpxyl pybfr gb gur zlegyr
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