I'd never seen a Cardinal until my wife took me back to her old stomping grounds in St Louis. What a magnificent critter. Excellent work Mars.

Great job Mars. I had a similar experience some years ago. I saw a cardinal lying in the road barely moving. Went around the block quickly and picked him up and carried him to work. I was just sitting outside holding him in my hands waiting for him to pass. Suddenly he fluttered a bit and took off. What a great way to start the day.

I'm curious, what does a cardinal growl sound like?

Not to sound sarcastic, but like a bird growling. LOL

I had owls growl and owl bark (yes, owls will owl bark) at me when I worked at Hawk Talk. I knew something really bad was about to happen to me at that point and it was unavoidable.