Yellow and Gray Immature Male American Redstart

I decided to go birding through my photo files and discovered this American Redstart, a small warbler that dropped in to visit our Regina, SK, backyard a few years ago. It stayed only a few minutes — but spent those posing on the branch that sticks out from our lilac trees towards the feeders.

Immature Male American Redstart.   © SB

American Redstart. (He flitted and fanned his tail - then left!) © SB

I'm told that at this stage, immature male (and female, which look very much the same) American Redstarts are sometimes called "yellowstarts", as a way of affectionately indicating their colour phase. And yes, females are also gray and yellow — but the blackish feathers on the rump and the salmon orange glow at the bend of its wing apparently mark this one as a young male. (It would be so nice if he'd come back in his high contrast black and orange feathers!) 

What is this? Immature male American Redstart  (Paruline flamboyante)
Location: Backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan
Photo date: September 7, 2013.

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Tennessee Warbler in the Impossible Apple Tree

After the rain, a Tennessee Warbler landed high in the impossible apple tree in our Regina, Saskatchewan, back yard.

Tennessee Warbler, checking for bugs in the new apple shoots.   © SB

At least, that's what I think this tiny migrating songbird must be, based on its colours: its back, a vivid bright green; belly, white; and head, soft gray with white eye arcs.

Warblers are fairly rare visitors for us. I think more visit the trees and houses in the parts of Regina near Wascana Lake and along Wascana Creek. But we live on the dryer high ground, to the north. (Odd for such a small city to have such clearly distinctive zones...)

And about that apple tree? Impossible, because we live so far out of normal apple range... And because its fruit, though reasonably plentiful, is bitter-sweet, not great for either eating raw or cooking — although these apples can be delightful if mixed with firmer fruit in pies.

Tennessee Warbler - view of back feathers. © SB

What is this? A Tennessee Warbler, as far I can figure from my bird books. 
Location: Backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  

Photo date: May 20, 2014

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Yellow-rumped Warbler - my bandit bird is back!

Yellow-rumped Warblers make me think of bandits in old black and white TV shows — dashing Zorro-like outlaws, wearing black masks.

But the clearest identifying mark on Yellow-rumped Warblers is not, of course, their facial marking, but those vibrant flashes of yellow on their chest and — most of all — their rumps. An apt name.

Here's my first Yellow-rumped Warbler of  2013, in the bushes by Wascana Lake, east of Broad Street, in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Regina, Saskatchewan.   © SB

What is this? A Yellow-rumped Warbler
Location: East section of Wascana Lake, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  

Photo date: May 15, 2013.

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