Photo of the Week: Least Flycatcher

Small dusky olive-colored bird perched on a shrub branch.

The charming Least Flycatcher isn’t as large as other flycatchers, nor as brilliantly colored as migrating warblers in our area. But the smallest flycatcher in the eastern portion of the United States stands out in the hedgerows and trees with its upright posture and bold white eyering. Least Flycatchers are seen in our southeastern Michigan… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Least Flycatcher

Photo of the Week: Female Yellow-headed Blackbirds

two brown birds with muted yellow face and breast feed in the grassy field.

When I first saw the two birds in the grass near the marsh, I did a double-take. They weren’t Eastern Meadowlarks, they didn’t have the right coloring. Or the type of bill a meadowlark would have. As I peered through my binoculars and watched the birds’ behavior, I finally figured it out. Yellow-headed Blackbirds! Not… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Female Yellow-headed Blackbirds

Photo of the Week: Hooded Oriole, Rare Bird in Michigan

brilliant orange and black bird perches on the bare tree branches.

What a surprise to discover a Hooded Oriole found its way to southeast Michigan! The slender black and orange oriole is typically found west of the Mississippi River, generally in southern Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California. Here’s the range map for the Hooded Oriole, showing the bird migrates through Mexico and breeds in Mexico… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Hooded Oriole, Rare Bird in Michigan