Mother's Favorite

No, I'm not getting into the whole issue of sibling rivalry here. I'm talking about birds. Specifically, my mother's favorite bird, which is a medium-sized warbler called the American Redstart. 

 

These busy little birds are really hard to photograph, since they rarely hold still long enough to get anything but a blur and these pictures aren't much better, but I did my best.  One can follow the distinctive song and figure out where they are, but they keep on the move hunting for bugs.  I got lucky enough to catch this fellow preening, so the markings are visible, even though his head is turned away.

 
One of the shady trails that Baloo and I took on warm, sunny days has these fellows serenading from every side. This one perched atop the very tallest branch in the area to belt out his territorial aria long enough for me to capture a photo or two. Of course, taking the picture against the brightness of the sky had its own set of drawbacks.

 

 

Still, it was fun to watch him singing and I can understand why my mother liked these winged musicians so much. Not only do they have beautiful markings, they have a very cheerful song and intrepid little spirits. 

This is the more usual way of spotting them, as just a glimpse of orange, black and white against the green foliage as they flash their bright tails to flush out bugs to catch. Maybe that's how they got their name - they startle the insects with that burst of red-orange feathers.

Baloo would have preferred the chipmunks, but he always put up with my fascination with less provocative creatures and waited patiently for me to finish with the camera (of course, he always got a cookie for waiting quietly, so perhaps that's no wonder).