This female Northern Cardinal posed for my camera on Friday, February 15, 2013 while I counted birds for the GBBC. Although the males of this species seem to garner all the glory due to their bright red colors, the females are beautiful in their own way. Canon 7D, 500mm f/4 lens, ISO 400 at f/8 and shutter speed of 1/250, AE mode with zero exposure compensation. This photo was made just before sun down.