When I photographed this bird last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I really had no idea what it was. Some aspects of its overall coloration reminded me a little of a Tufted Titmouse, but its shape and size were not right. Its mottled and patchy color suggested to me that this might be an immature bird and I wondered if it might be some kind of warbler.
When I returned home I searched though my identification guides and looked at lots of photos on-line and concluded that this was probably an immature male American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). Some folks on Facebook confirmed my identification, which was helpful, considering that I had never before seen this species. As I suspected, this Redstart is a New World warbler—apparently there is also an Old World Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) that is completely unrelated to the one that I spotted.
Each spring I am absolutely delighted to find any warblers at all. Often I hear the warblers singing in the leafy trees, but only rarely do I manage to catch a glimpse of their beauty.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 