Cardinals and other firsts

So I return from my too short week away to find myself thoroughly workwhelmed. To lift my spirits - and, I hope, yours - I post a picture of the spectacular Cardinal Bird. I saw my first-ever Cardinals last week - both the male and the more subtly beautiful female - along with a range of other firsts for me: Juncos, Mourning Doves, Chipping Sparrows, Red-Winged Blackbirds, White-Breasted Nuthatches, Brown-Headed Cowbirds, Red-Tailed Hawks, Grackles, and American Goldfinches galore - delightful birds, and every bit as addicted to niger seeds as their more colourful British cousins. Already it seems too long ago...