Nature and Wildlife Photography by Gary D.Tonhouse

Description: 8-9" male bright red with crest, black face stout red bill, female buff-brown, tinged with red on crest, wings and tail		Habitat: Woodland edges, fields, thickets, brushy undergrowth, suburbs, gardens, feeders with sunflower seeds, swamps, desert washes, riparian areas. Very common in the east.
Nesting: 3-4 pale green eggs spotted with red-brown in a deep cup of twigs, leaves and plant fibers concealed in a thicket		Range: resident of eastern US south to Gulf Coast
Diet: insects, fruit, and seeds		Voice: rich what-cheer, cheer-cheer; purty-purty-purty-purty or sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet also a metallic chip
Notes: species named after red robes worn by Roman Catholic Cardinals, occupy territory year-round, forms winter flocks of 60-70

Equipment used to capture this image:
Camera: Nikon D1
Lens: Nikor 500mm F4
Tripod: Gitzo 320 with Bogen Ball Head
Film: Setting on camera was FINE an ISO of 200

This photo was captured from the observation deck at Saylorville Lake Visitor Center.
This is a great area to do winter bird photography. The Audobon Society maintains
many bird feeders in the area and the birds are somewhat acuminated to humans.