Northern Cardinal

Branches lay bare against a grey sky. The gaiety of summer has given way to doldrums of fall, and as winter settles in, flocks take flight, like guests from a dwindling party. But one pair of revellers lingers on, he in crimson finery, she in demure tones. Among tattered streamers of copper leaves, they warble a merry duet. Around the cardinals' nest, tinsel icicles may have replaced vibrant blooms of roses, but as they feast on scarlet berries that dot the snowy landscape, this feathered brood's festive spirit refuses to be chilled.