Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

Photo: Johhny N. Dell, Bugwood.org

Ta-dah! After almost a month of trying to identify this tiny bird... success. I'd see her, unexpectedly, on trips to the backyard. Sometimes dining on seed, often clinging to the suet feeder, while a downy woodpecker waited patiently for a turn. Assertive, positive, confident and surprisingly bold, this busy little bird is constant motion, making an ID quite difficult - at least for this backyard birder.

By the time I was back inside, sequestered with my Peterson field guide, relying on my general observations and shaky memory, I found myself trying to make this bird fit into the warbler family. After all, we'd had three warbler species, just last year - new to this area. There were similar colorations and mannerisms, but I was still unsure. The first thing I had noticed was the small size and short tail.

Finally, yesterday, in flipping through the bird book, researching something else, I took a closer look at at the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet. Although the map includes my area in their year 'round range, kinglets have never appeared in this locale, before. I say "she," because I do not observe the scarlet crown patch of the male, although I understand it is often inconspicuous. Either way, so far, I have only seen a single bird... I can only hope that the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet finds this gardener's yard hospitable and stays to raise a family.

Everyday, in the late afternoon, this spunky, gregarious kinglet flutters between the seed and suet feeders, just a couple of feet away. She seems untroubled by my presence, or that of the dog, peering curiously at us, from around the feeder. And everyday, in the face of all this positivity, I lose just a little more of my 'bah-humbug, spring is never coming' attitude.

For more information on this bird, click on Chipper Woods bird Observatory (GREAT PHOTOS!), All About Birds or Bird Watcher's Digest.

©Deb Lambert 2008