Of Magnolias and Canada - 16 May 2025
Robin had dinner tonight with an old friend so I decided to take a break from painting the garage to head down to Magee Marsh. Skies were clear here in SE Michigan and temps were in the mid 80's. As I drove south at 4 pm I could see the cloud bank over Ohio. Temperatures suddenly dropped to 70F, followed by rain, but suddenly jumped back to 85F with high humidity once I arrived at Magee Marsh. Clouds were still present but it was partly sunny with a steady wind coming in off Lake Erie. The steady stream of cars leaving the area was also a nice scene. I parked at the west end of the boardwalk and walked in shortly after 5 pm. My first bird was this lovely American Redstart , but trying to photograph it was a challenge. As was the ID; all I noticed was the gray head and bright eye-ring and apparent spectacles that suggested Blue-headed Vireo, but the yellow on the chest and flanks threw me. It wasn't until I saw the yellow tail patches that I began to think redstart. The evening...