American Redstart
On a cool, crisp, sunny morning – after a cloudy day with some light rain yesterday – an American Redstart sang in a wooded area near the roadside. When I heard the song, I thought it was a Redstart, but because I don’t hear it often, the song is not familiar enough for me to be sure at first. It’s a high, tart series of notes, something like sweee-sweee-sweee-sweeer, but with other variations. Though it has a recognizable quality, the pattern of the notes is difficult to describe, and difficult for me to remember. It’s one of the birdsongs I seem to have to relearn, again and again.
I stopped, waited and watched – and saw a small, very active black bird with bright orange patches in the wings and tail, and on the sides. It moved through the low branches of oaks and sweet gums, flaring its wings and tail, flashing the colors, and pausing to lift its head, part its bill and sing now and then.