Tag: American Redstart

More Summer Residents

The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have arrived, and now I’m pleased that another of the many birds that spend the summer here has arrived. The American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), like many of the birds that spend the summer here are stunning.

The top image is a male Redstart and in the image directly above is a female Redstart.

They eat mostly insects and spiders making it unlikely that I’ll see one at my feeder. They love the birdbath though.

I try to keep at least one birdbath full whether it is summer or winter. I get to see many birds that way, that I wouldn’t see otherwise.

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Back Again Today

Yesterday I was surprised and pleased to see a male Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) and I shared a couple pictures that I took, with you in last night’s post.

Now today, again, a male Restart showed up to amaze me several times this afternoon. Here, just two of the images I was able to get.

What I wanted to show you today, before I was distracted by the second visit of a male Redstart, are pictures of a female Redstart.

Quite similar but as is often the case, the female and the immature male Redstarts are very understated in color. Rather than the bold black and orange, they are soft shades of gray and yellow.

Redstarts are incredibly fidgety birds, seeming to never be still, even for a brief moment. Truly a challenging subject to capture in pixels.

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Early Evening Visitor

A total surprise early this evening as I was washing dishes. A male American Restart (Setophaga ruticilla) taking care of his feathers at the birdbath.

Redstarts are not the most frequent birds I see. They seek out insects from the forest floor to the tree tops and for the most part only come by for their feather care at the birdbath.

Their size, being a small warbler, just adds to the fascination when I see one. Cute little critters. When one seems to show off for me and my camera that is just icing on the cake. A bonus for the day.

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A Good Day For Birds

Two surprise birds today. Two females. An American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). Not interested in sunflower seeds or shelled peanuts but the birdbath I’ve put out for her.

And another female. A Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) on her way to the blueberry bushes that are still filled with yummy berries to tempt her.

A good day for spotting birds.