Like most warblers, the American Redstart is a petite bundle of energy unwilling to sit still for pictures. It appears in quick flashes, a blur of black and orange (the male) while flitting from tree to tree to forage for insects. Though dressed in the colors of Halloween (a frequent characterization), American Redstarts are rarely scary, except intentionally to one another during territorial fights. I suppose they also scare the insect kingdom, as they fan their expressive tail in order to drive out bugs from the leaves.
I was first made aware of their presence through Cornell’s Merlin app. For the past several seasons, I would pick up their sound in the trees west of the athletic fields in Inwood Hill Park and near the entrance of the Clove. Their quick high chip notes help distinguish them from the regular cast of the old-growth forest. I would hear them but never see them, though the bird guides claim the American Redstart is more conspicuous than other warblers.
I’ve changed my approach to finding American Redstarts over the past two weeks, and I am happy to say that I have actually seen them now and in more places. Leaving the sound function open for recording, I have familiarized myself with their song and therefore more able to follow their quick movements.
My first up-close encounter with American Redstarts occurred on an early evening walk on a trail that winds underneath the Henry Hudson Bridge and emerges on the west side with views of the Hudson River. In the golden hour before sunset, a male redstart appeared close to the trail in a small sapling, a favorite perch for this type of warbler. (cover image and top pictures from May 11, 2023)
The light of the setting sun enhanced its orange flashes. That evening we didn’t have a particularly colorful Hudson River sunset, the stuff of the famous school of Hudson Valley landscape painters, but the effect of the light was pleasing enough. In Spanish, they are called Candelita Norteña. In French, they are Paruline flamboyante.
In the following days, I saw an American Redstart up on the easternmost ridge near the end of 207th Street and also along the carved stepped path that descends from Inwood Hill down the Clove. As the male American Redstart is polygamous and may maintain separate territories, I may have been seeing the same bird over and over again. In the fall, the American Redstart will return just in time for Halloween preparations.
Cover photo: American Redstart in early evening. Inwood Hill Park. May 11, 2023
Recent Posts
- Observing Birds Outside the Window: The Comforts and Surprises of Birdwatching During a Winter Storm
On Tuesday, December 2, a Nor’easter barreled through New York City, bringing a cold, steady rain for most of the day. Areas to the north and west got the snow, but most of NYC was just out of range for a nice snowfall. My plans for birdwatching were rained out. Or, so I thought. When… Read more: Observing Birds Outside the Window: The Comforts and Surprises of Birdwatching During a Winter Storm - A Thanksgiving with Hawks and All the Birds of Inwood
When I was a young girl growing up in Texas, my family liked to take a walk in the neighborhood on the morning of Thanksgiving Day. We gathered autumn leaves and branches to decorate the dinner table. A great pecan tree grew in our front yard, alongside a magnolia and its fragrant blossoms for a… Read more: A Thanksgiving with Hawks and All the Birds of Inwood - Easy Fall Birding with White-throated Sparrows
Even if I have only ten minutes to go birdwatching this time of year, I can always walk to the edge of Inwood Hill Park, look down, and find at least a dozen White-throated Sparrows. Pretty birds with white throats and yellow lores, these sparrows also possess a sweet, lilting song. Cornell’s All About… Read more: Easy Fall Birding with White-throated Sparrows - The Birds for Our New York City Moment
Over the course of several busy and consequential days for New York City— a thrilling Halloween Parade, a photo finish for the NYC Marathon, and the city’s historic mayoral election— thousands of birds flew overhead. Some were late migrants en route to winter homes and springtime in the Southern Hemisphere. Other birds came here to… Read more: The Birds for Our New York City Moment - Fall Birding Falls Into Place: Notable Birds of Inwood During Mid-October
The last two weeks brought some volatile weather, including a big Nor’easter and high wind events, to the Salt Marsh and to the forest of Inwood Hill Park. The pace of fall migration sped up and then died down. Sometimes, on an average morning, there were many birds, and on other days, nothing much to… Read more: Fall Birding Falls Into Place: Notable Birds of Inwood During Mid-October
Birds of Inwood 
Comments welcome!