The black V on the throat against the yellow breast stood out for me when I saw the sparrow-sized bird singing away on the fence.
The male Dickcissel with the rust-colored shoulders always makes me smile when I see it in summer, because I typically only find it when I hear it singing.
Dickcissels are one of Michigan’s grassland birds, along with Savannah Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Meadowlarks, and Bobolinks.
It’s not a common bird in Michigan; Dickcissels are usually found further west and south of Michigan, in other Midwest and Plains states.
I have a few places where I see them regularly each year: at the Conservancy Farm in Superior Township as well as near the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.
This year is the first time I’ve seen at one of our local airports, where I’ve seen the rare (for our area) Blue Grosbeak for the past couple years.
The Dickcissel is only seen in our southeast Michigan area during breeding season; their winter grounds are in Central and South America.
