There are not words for the way my breath was captured last evening when in the evergreens along a wooded path, our oldest daughter Maria stopped in her tracks before me having just sighted the unmistakable little crest of a baby Northern Cardinal.
Against the rustling of the wind she kept breathlessly exclaiming "There it is, there it is! Look, it's the baby Cardinal!"
And sure enough, there it was with its little tufted head silhouetted against the reducing light, three- quarters up the height of a mid- sized evergreen tree. And we were not even looking for it rather just walking along the trail in late evening!
Be still my beating heart....the sighting was magnificent to say the least!
A few evenings ago when our middle child, Lucas first heard then promptly sighted a fledgling Cardinal in the first known (recorded) sighting of one by a human on PEI, Maria and I were with him and heard the fledgling calling as well but did not see it. Last evening as the two of us stood in the near darkness of the very shaded trail beneath a canopy of evergreen branches, the wind blowing just enough to reduce mosquito presence, we kept giggling and staring in awe of the sight that we beheld.
What can be said of such a moment?
We were human number two and three (that we know of) to sight a newly fledged Northern Cardinal on this little Island which they have apparently just extended their nesting range to.
Now to have this sighting translated into reasons to identify and protect habitat!
Thanks for reading!
Jill