Maine to Texas and Back to Wisconsin

Golden-crowned Kinglet in Fall Migration Plumage.

Tiny, hyperactive songbird usually found in conifer trees. Look for black stripes on the head and bold wing pattern. The namesake golden crown is usually just a small stripe, but can be flared into an expressive fiery-orange crest when agitated. One of the smallest passerines.

Medium-sized sparrow with considerable geographic color variation, although all exhibit a pink bill, dark eyes, white belly, and dark-centered tail with white outer feathers. Gray-headed form has gray head, rump, breast, and sides, and rust-brown back. Slate-colored form is slate-gray overall with darker head. Oregon form has black hood, chestnut-brown back and buff-brown flanks. White-winged form is blue-gray overall and shows two white wing bars. Pink-sided form is blue-gray with darker wings and pink-gray flanks. Female of each form resembles male but is usually paler. Juveniles of all forms are heavily streaked brown with darker heads, white bellies, and white outer tail feathers. Short flights with white outer tail feathers flashing conspicuously; alternates several rapid wing beats with wings drawn to sides. Forages primarily on the ground for seeds and arthropods; readily visits backyard bird feeders. (From iBird Pro).

Medium-sized sparrow with brown-streaked upperparts, small white throat patch, and plain gray underparts. White crown has distinct black lines. Wings are brown with two pale bars.  Sexes are similar. Juvenile has buff and brown head stripes. Diet consists primarily of seeds and insects. Short flights, alternates rapid wing beats with brief periods of the wings pulled to sides.

I didn’t know what type of sparrow this was and looked it up using Merlin Photo ID app.  Juveniles are always difficult to recognize.

The redstarts feed almost exclusively on insects which are usually caught by flycatching. American redstarts also have been known to catch their insect prey by gleaning it from leaves. This is a very active species. (And a challenge to photograph!!) The tail is often held partly fanned out. These birds have been observed flashing the orange and yellow of their tails on and off to startle and chase insects from the underbrush.

The Cape May warbler (Setophaga tigrina) is a species of New World warbler. It breeds in northern North America. Its breeding range spans all but the westernmost parts of southern Canada, the Great Lakes region, and New England. It is migratory, wintering in the West Indies. The English name refers to Cape May, New Jersey, where George Ord collected the specimen later described by Alexander Wilson. This species was not recorded again in Cape May for another 100 years, although it is now known as an uncommon migrant there.
Plumages of the female and immature male resemble washed-out versions of the adult male, lacking the strong head pattern. The yellowish rump, and at least indications of the white wing bar, are always present. The adult male Cape May warbler has a brown back, yellowish rump and dark brown crown. (Wikipedia®)

Today at the Sheboygan Marsh. Very patient – maybe didn’t think that I saw him. Our largest and heaviest heron, grayish overall (except white in southern Florida). The following day we found a Juvenile Great Blue Heron that was too weak to fly near a pond in Sheboygan Falls. Rescued By Us – Down Likely From Starvation.

In our yard today, resting after a snack in her usual tree. The only hummingbird in our area is the Ruby-throated.

Here’s a few fun facts: Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly backwards. They weigh less than a nickel. They drink nectar by moving their tongues in and out approximately 13 times per second and they can drink double their body weight in a single day.

Two populations reliably distinguished by multiple plumage differences, but intergrades are common across a very wide area. “Yellow-shafted” (north and east) and “Red-shafted” (west) differ in plumage colors but not in voice or habits. This bird is Yellow-shafted as the yellow feathers are visible in flight mode.

The green heron is relatively small; adult body length is about 44 cm (17 in). The neck is often pulled in tight against the body. Adults have a glossy, greenish-black cap, a greenish back and wings that are grey-black grading into green or blue, a chestnut neck with a white line down the front, grey underparts and short yellow legs. The bill is dark with a long, sharp point. Female adults tend to be smaller than males, and have duller and lighter plumage, particularly in the breeding season. 
The Green Heron is one of the world’s few tool-using bird species. It often creates fishing lures with bread crusts, insects, and feathers, dropping them on the surface of the water to entice small fish.

The sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis) is a species of large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska‘s Sandhills on the American Great Plains. Sandhill Cranes are known to hang out at the edges of bodies of water, especially in the Central Florida region. The central Platte River valley in Nebraska is the most important stopover area.

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