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June-The Changing Seasons V2
June Haiku (Molt)
Heavy heat of June
Revealing new, shedding old
Feathering the days
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This young Cardinal is in the midst of change. His beak is orange, not black, which means he is not a fluffy fledgling like I first thought. I think it is a young male, within a year old, that is molting, shedding baby feathers to reveal red feathers. From what I have read, the juvenile male Cardinal looks much like the more drab female until he is a year old. Then, he goes through the molting process to become bright red! This was news to me and I have never observed it before. I also learned that all Cardinals go through a molting stage around the end of summer, shedding worn feathers in preparation for new. Isn’t nature amazing?
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This is my Version 2 entry into Cardinal Guzman’s Changing Seasons Challenge. Check out his blog for other interpretations of the theme and think about joining us in the challenge! You can see my previous entries by clicking on the Changing Seasons header at the top of my page. You can click on the Birds header at the top of the page for more bird posts too.