I saw very few Cardinals this summer, and the numbers are still low. I'm also in the Northeast. I have a pair that comes by for the suet, but most years I see way more of them.

I seem to have lots of Cardinals here all the time, but in the winter, there are normally scads of them. I think it is a little early yet for me to say that my numbers are down. Come Jan/Feb, I will know for sure. Check out this pic that I snapped in Feb 2010. These trees are in my front yard. We had a little snow, and the Cardinals came to eat in droves. Zoom in on the pic and see how many you can count. :o) Angie

Here is a link that might be useful:

I'm in SE MA and I usually only see a few cardinals during the day time, but the numbers will rise as the sun sets and it gets dark. I put seed on the ground and they gather in one area. At 4:10 pm today there were 11 cardinals on the ground or at the birdbaths. I have one heated birdbath and I've been breaking the ice on others.

This is the highest count I've had this year. There have been two Cooper's Hawks hunting here regularly so the cardinals are really wary. I suspect they come out after the hawks have gone to roost for the night.

Claire

Thank you everyone for your responses. Between all of you, I believe I have my answers. This summer the Cardinal population was higher than usual. As fall and winter has been setting in the Cooper's and Goshawk population has increased even more than usual. The Cardinals are a prime target for them. Even though the cover is pretty good near the feeders, the leaves are gone and the Cardinals color makes them stand out. I have all the small birds at the feeders those hawks won't bother with: Chickadees, Gold Finches. Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, Nuthatches, Carolina Wrens, Juncos and Downy Woodpeckers. I do have a large number of Mourning Doves, but they have devised a clever hide and seek game under some very heavy underbrush. I watched the Cooper this morning dive down into the area to flush them out, but to no avail. They didn't budge. Amazing because the Cooper even on the groud is quite deadly. I'm sure as winter progresses he will go right in after them. The size of the Hairy Woodpeckers and the Red-bellied Woodpeckers is also the reason why they are so skiddish and wary at the feeders this year. Again thank you for your responses. Happy birding everyone.