Roadrunner,
I think your referring to the Pyrrhuloxia. The female and male, are many times mistaken for a female cardinal. I see them in my garden, mostly when the pyracantha is red and ripe. They seem to like those. I've never seen a cardinal in my yard. But my friend Cherie, who leaves about 2 miles away on an acre of land, see's tons of them. They go after the grain treat she feeds her horses and mules.
Alan