Join us as we flock together to complete this month's "Birds of a Feather" themed challenges. While this old proverb is true of all of us who share the same love for putting our memories on scrapbook pages or creating beautiful cards, the focus is not on us, but on the various birds that surround us with their beautiful colors, their varied songs, and their nest building skills. They may hang around our yards splashing in a bird bath and enjoying a free meal or they may make their home in a zoo. Perhaps they were a once in a lifetime sighting or a pet you enjoy every day. Big or small, they may frighten us or delight us. We use their names to describe others...you wise old owl, she's as colorful as a peacock, he's just a little songbird. They have stared in movies and inspired songs and poetry. And these amazing creatures have even risen to the heights of being honored as state and national symbols. So, get ready!! The birds are coming!
Remember - A new Blue Plate Special challenge is posted each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and participants have until the 3rd of the following month to complete and post their creations.
Prize will be a $20 Gift Certificate to their favorite online store (random drawing).....
*Winner will be chosen via Random.Org.
Today's Challenge will be different for each of us. Using the following sketch, you are to find out details about YOUR State Bird and create a LO. You may choose to use Side A or Side B or Both sides of the Sketch for a single or double page. You must include a minimum of 3 features of your bird.
MY bird---North Carolina--The Cardinal
The Cardinal’s natural habitat currently extends over half of the United States, as far south as Belize and Guatemala, north into Canada, and as far west as North Dakota and southern Arizona. The male has year-round bright red plumage and a black face mask, while the female comes in various shades of brown, gray and red. Both males and females have strong short bills and a distinctive crest of head feathers. Primarily seed-eaters, cardinals will also eat insects, larvae, sap, and many types of fruit. Unlike most other bird species, in which only the male vocalizes, both cardinal genders sing--the males typically to attract mates or ward off intruders, and the female to signal the male to bring food for the nestlings.
Cardinals, sometimes known as Redbirds or Northern Cardinals, are non-migratory, and have adapted easily to both city and suburban environments. In fact, both their numbers and their habitat range have grown as population pressures on other species, and the number of backyard birdfeeders, have increased. Their nests are generally concealed in hedgerows or vines, and monogamous couples can have up to 3 clutches of 2-5 eggs per year during the spring and summer.
Six other states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia) have chosen the Cardinal as their state bird.
For my LO I used the colors of both the male and female, the tuft on the top of the head (border punch), the fact that they adapt to their surroundings (pictures of both indoors and outdoors) and that they are monogamous couples (family).
