American Redstart - Male

It was just a few days ago when I found a few American Redstart along the side of the road.  I could hardly see the bird but I saw flashes of orange, and I was sure what it was.  Today, I stopped by the same area where I paced a short stretch of the road for more than an hour. My patience paid off.

In the beginning there was no bird activity at all on the road, but I was sure the Redstarts must still be around. At last, I caught sight of one. It played the same game as last week - stayed away from the road and hidden in the branches.

With a few twists of my bird call, it moved out into the open albeit still away from the road.  I maneuvered until I finally got a clear shot of it.

What a stunning bird and it even sat and sang me a brief song. Some people refer to this as the "butterfly  of the bird world," so named for its pattern of fluttering and the orange on its wings and tail.

I have never had such a good look at the male American Redstart, but three females turned up in my yard two years ago.  Today, I caught sight of several females, but they simply would not come out into the open.

While waiting so long for the Redstart to show up, I saw one of almost every kind of bird on the go now.  The hour on this road flew by as quickly as the Redstarts.

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