Interesting Cardinal behavior

[Craig Kesselheim]

Good morning all - I took a short walk yesterday on the connector trail between College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor) and Duck Brook Road. While still fairly close to the back edges of hotel properties, I watched a pair of N. Cardinals interact in a way I haven't seen before.

The female was perched on a branch, while the male leapt over her multiple times, landing on the same branch and next to her (left side, then right side, then back to the left side). Briefly the female seemed to be fluttering her wings, but that was a fleeting impression so I'm not certain. One time the male's tail seemed to touch the female's tail.

I presume this is courtship, and assume this might help the pair gear up for a second round of nesting and egg laying. But those are my guesses.

Any thoughts or insights are welcome.

Thanks,

Craig K

Southwest Harbor