One-eyed Redstart in an Apple Tree
I had a lunch date with the same American Redstart for 4 days. We met at a sun dappled apple tree on the trail at Ewing Park. I stood…
One-eyed Redstart in an Apple Tree
I had a lunch date with the same American Redstart for 4 days. We met at a sun dappled apple tree on the trail at Ewing Park. I stood transfixed beneath the tree as she danced like the light on the branches foraging for insects with that redstart zig zag style. This is the fourth day I have seen her in the same tree. She will come within two feet of me. I know it is the same bird due to the fact that she is missing her left eye and she has a distinct look and style of foraging. I have never seen a warbler so close for so long. She is tiny, vivacious and in constant motion. It is hard to describe her. She is so small and so alive. When you see her up close she becomes smaller rather than larger and when you realize that she is covered in fluffy feathers you know that her actual body is smaller yet. She is 4 inches long and half of that is her tail. She weighs 6 grams or 0.2 ounces. This is equivalent to a quarter. If you hold a quarter in your hand it barely registers as anything at all. She has an outsized personality for a miniature animal. When seen up close she is startling. Her eye sparkled in the shade. Mary Oliver described a gull that she rescued and cared for as being like a jar that you open expecting to see darkness, but in this case the jar is filled with light. I think every bird is filled with light, energy and a personality and life that is beyond our understanding. This is why birds are so intriguing, they can draw us into their world and in the process draw us into nature.
I know that she sees me standing nearby. Once in a while she will pause and look at me and twist her head as if she is trying to figure out what I am. She does not seem to mind my presence. She will repeatedly forage on the branches two feet above my head. At that distance watching a bird has a different quality to it. I can hear her bill snapping as clamps down on an insect. Her feet make tiny scratching noises on the tree bark. The fluttering of her wings and fanning of her tail create subtle sounds that are accentuated by her occasional rapid free fall through the foliage. She is a dynamo.
In most respects she appears to be like other redstarts, but there are some differences. She does not fan her tail as widely or as often as other redstarts. I am not sure why. Maybe flushing insects with your tail sends them off in random directions? This would be a problem for her since she can only see on one side. She appears to have to work harder than other redstarts. All redstarts are in near constant motion, but she is in hyperdrive. After 45 minutes of watching her at close quarters, I still do not have the kind of image I am hoping to capture. What I do have are a lot of images of bare branches and the end of her tail. She consistently flies from her perch within 2 seconds which is about 1 second faster than it takes me to compose, focus and take a picture. She appears to turn her head more frequently than other redstarts, which makes sense given her limited field of view. I have never heard her give the redstart “chip” call. She has not been part of a mixed flock. I am amazed that she can survive in migration and capture tiny, rapidly flying insects with her reduced depth perception and visual acuity. She is resilient and impressive. She appears to capture insects at about the same rate as other warblers.
Why does she spend so much time in this one tree? Is there something about the structure of the tree and the type of insects it attracts that appeal to her? She will forage in surrounding trees and shrubs, but only briefly before returning to the apple tree. I am just glad that she came into my life. I hope she makes it down to South America and takes up residence in a hospitable coffee tree. She has added a new dimension and insights to my bird watching and I am grateful. Every time I visit this tree I am going to think of her.