A Summer Resident Has Returned

Yesterday afternoon, a look out at one of the birdbaths revealed a delightful surprise, a Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). A summer resident getting settled in. This, a photo from that sighting, is a male with his beautiful black and orange feathers.

This, a female Redstart. Subtle colors, a medium gray and, soft yellow.

The Redstarts come to the birdbaths. I rarely see them otherwise, since they don’t come to the feeders. They are insect and spider eaters, though in late summer into autumn, they will also eat some small berries and fruits.

I love to see the change of the bird population as the seasons change. Each season is my favorite.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.