Photo of the Week: American Redstart in the Neighborhood

Small black warbler with orange patches under neck, on wing, and under tail, perches on a bare tree branch.

What I’ve been thrilled about this year’s spring migration is discovering American Redstarts in our neighborhood park!

The small black bird with striking orange patches and the big voice may be breeding at the park. I’ve heard male American Redstarts singing and seen females at the park for the past three weeks.

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Photo of the Week: Elegant American Avocet

Large shorebird with copper head and neck and white body with black wings with white stripes pauses as it forages in the water of the mudflat.

A striking cinnamon-brown, black, and white shorebird, the American Avocet stood out on the mudflat of the Lake Erie marsh near the Michigan/Ohio state border.

The slightly-upturned long thin black bill is distinctive as is the white body with white-striped black wings.

The American Avocet is a rare bird in Michigan and one I had never seen before.

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