Oh - once again I wish I had a longer zoom lens! And, while I am at it, how about transparent tree branches that can fade when between me and my subject!
But, I did get lucky and the branches actually frames his face quite nicely.
Best viewed large to see that effect.
Oh well, as I read somewhere, this is all about a picture a day - not a masterpiece a day.
My cropped and edited version - thanks to Elke's suggestion is at: http://365project.org/farmreporter/altered-states/2013-12-20
Wise words!
He's lovely and you're right about the branches framing his face! I wonder how much cropping you could do to make him more prominent? Cardinals, at least the ones that I've come across, are very shy and seem to know exactly how much reach our cameras have!
Thanks!