I love seeing red.

No I am not referring to getting real angry, about the stock market taking a huge dip downward or red blood of any kind.I am talking about the beautiful bird called the Northern Cardinal.Last month after Mother Nature decided to dump over a foot of snow on us I was looking out of our kitchen window into the backyard. I happened to catch "our" cardinal coming down and sitting on a low tree branch. It was striking how the red bird stood out so vividly with the white snowy background. I called my husband to come and see the beautiful sight.Why did I call the bird "our" cardinal?My father-in-law loved cardinals. So much so that if he saw one he would just stop and admire its beauty until it flew away. He would say that to him the cardinal was the most beautiful bird in the world. When he passed away, the family had a red cardinal engraved on his gravestone.It might have been about six months after he passed away we saw our first red cardinal in our own backyard. We had lived here for over 20 years and I don't ever remember seeing one until that day. So for the past 19 years we have "our" cardinal making visits to the backyard to eat from my husband's bird feeder or coming down to sit in a tree. We will usually hear him before we see him. A loud whistle followed by some sharp, distinct chirps. Each time my husband see or hears a cardinal he is reminded of the love his dad had for these brilliant birds and he fondly recalls his dad.The cardinal got its name from the royal red vestments worn by the Catholic Cardinals.I read that the bolder and brighter his color is, the more successful the cardinal will be at prolonging his lineage. Dull- colored male cardinals are less likely to mate successfully than bright ones. True to the fire of his color, the crimson cardinal is a spunky bird. He will aggressively defend his territory and fight off attackers. We have a female cardinal in our backyard too. She is more difficult to spot. She is brown with just a few reddish tinges on her wings and tail.I love to watch the two, especially in the summer when the male comes and sits in the tree above the bird feeder.Pretty soon you will see the female fly in and start eating. He will stay there till she is done and then they both fly off.Cardinals are good parents to their young. They never stay in the same nest and make a new one each spring. The males share the parenting duties with the female.While the male is caring for the family, his bright red color will change to a duller shade of brown. This helps to camouflage him while busy taking care for his family.The cardinal's life span is an average of 3-5 years but can live as long as 15 years. The male and female cardinals will mate for life.The Native Americans called them the redbird and they were considered a good omen. Some tribes believed that the redbird was the daughter of the sun and that they could predict the rain. The number 12 is considered a lucky number by many Native Americans and is also associated with the cardinal. Cardinals are seen during all 12 months of the year. A cardinal's nest often contains 12 eggs. Native American lore holds that if you see a cardinal expect good luck to follow, in 12 hours or 12 days or at noon or midnight.I have heard that the red cardinal is also symbolic of hope, joy, health, power, wealth and enthusiasm. Also it is that of a spiritual messenger.No matter what the symbolic meaning, it is always a magnificent sight to see a red cardinal.Hear their loud whistle and chirps and be reminded to listen closely and pay attention to the lovely nature around you.