This is as good of a photo that I could get this morning of the adult male American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) seen below, and clearly I need to do better! The conditions were brutal with continued rain and some fog moving in on a very dark day, making the bird stand out even more against the drab surroundings. It was foraging and catching quite a bit while showing those bright wings and that flashy tail to help scare up insects. The weather has been uncooperative for birds as the first few days of the May migratory flight has been difficult with variable winds and precipitation making movements slower and shorter than many of them would like. Perhaps this weekend and next week we will see a surge of birds pushing into the Northeast.
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
