It’s shaping up to be a banner year for acorns and hickory nuts, but the juneberries (serviceberries) are scarce.
Last year I had to pick handfuls of them because the squirrels were climbing into the shrubs and chewing off big branches so they could sit on the ground in a more leisurely fashion to eat the fruit. Humans can eat juneberries too. Their taste is very similar to blueberries, and they are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants.
Robins love juneberries, but this year it’s the cardinals that are snatching them up. I’ve always thought of cardinals as mostly seed-eaters because of their thick beaks.
Turns out cardinals are omnivorous. They mainly eat seeds AND fruit, but during the breeding season they also consume insects and spiders and feed them to their young.
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve watched two cardinal pairs pluck berries from the shrubs or rescue fallen berries from the ground. The squirrels and robins just weren’t quick enough.