The official state bird of Ohio is Cardinalis Cardinalis, or Northern Cardinal, the bright red bird that is hard to miss. I photographed this male cardinal at Magee Marsh in Ohio. When I was in Ohio, though, I didn’t realize that the cardinal was its official state bird. I wish I’d known. I once thought that it would be fun to photograph the official state bird of a state in that state. But, I don’t think that will happen. This is only the second official state bird I’ve photographed in the state that claims it. The only other was the Northern Mockingbird which I photographed in Texas. I haven’t even photographed the California Quail in California, my home state, although I once photographed quail in Arizona. Ohio alone doesn’t claim the cardinal as its official state bird, though. Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia also claim the cardinal as those states’ official bird.
The dense vegetation at Magee Marsh and the strong winds kept the branches and foliage constantly in motion. And, often, branches between my lens and my subject intruded. I would have preferred that the blurred branch over the bird’s lower body weren’t there but, that’s the way it was.
