Cardinals are beautiful birds. Although males are more often noticed because of their bright red color, females and young of the year are visually striking as well. Notice the large bill these birds use to crack the shells of their preferred foods, sunflower and safflower seeds.
Cardinals form strong pair bonds and it is common to see the male and female together with one bird standing watch as the other feeds. This is especially true during the nesting season when the female incubates, leaving the nest only periodically. In fall and winter cardinals visit feeders more frequently during crepuscular lighting, perhaps to avoid visual notice by avian and other predators.
If you listen, cardinals are some of the first passerines to greet the arrival of spring in song. Males often perch at the top of trees to advertise territories with repeated, slurred melodic whistles.
Rose-breasted grosbeaks get their name from the rose-colored bib on males in breeding plumage. These birds also possess a large, powerful bill for cracking seeds.
Males arrive early in spring to establish territories. As canopy nesters, these birds prefer taller deciduous trees than cardinals. Their melodic and repeated robin-like songss are sometimes mistaken for vireos but a careful listener will hear a metallic-like "pik" call note interspersed with the song.
Occasionally, several males and females will flock together in early spring to adorn a single feeder with flashing black, white, and rose colors. Pairs return later in the summer with streaked-brown young that are tame and naive. They soon undertake a monumental migration to Mexico and Central America.
Mourning Doves are among the quietest and most peaceful avian visitors to a feeder. In Ohio, doves are controversial as a debate rages over the legitimacy of hunting this species. My personal perspective on this is that if all states were to embrace the idea hunting of this bird is okay, we would quickly revisit the hard lessons of the "Passenger Pigeon". Ohio residents should read about "Martha and her Kind" to gain insight into how quickly habitat loss coupled with hunting pressure can lead to the demise of a dove that was once among the most abundant species on earth.