The Cardinal is such a gorgeous bird. I hear it's especially beautiful against a snowy background, but it doesn't snow much on the South Texas coast. There are two cardinal families living in my backyard and they give me hours of entertainment watching them play, eat and chase each other around all my rose bushes. Thanks to these birds, I have found I enjoy collecting cardinal gifts.

Many of North America’s most beautiful birds can be found by learning about their diets and visiting areas where specific food sources are abundant. Most North American songbirds feed on seeds, berries, fruits, nectar, insects, invertebrates or other foods.

Save the Albatross, a global campaign of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (www.savethealbatross.net) has been selected for Friend of the Sea (FOS) funding, as it is achieving tangible results in the conservation of these endangered sea birds.