Crown of Rubies

This is a photograph taken in November of 2010 by Bill Ravenscroft.  However, I was reminded of it when the early morning greeters in the yard today were these little guys.  Not always does one get to see the ruby crown.  Today, as in the photograph, the red was clearly showing.  Not a bad was to start any day.

Ruby Crowns seem to have a message.  Life is meant to be lived fast and furious.  Just keep moving and something good will come.

Kinglets

Finally, they've arrived in our neck of the woods. Kinglets are birds with high activity: they just do not stand still. Their constnt movement makes it difficult to near impossible to get a decent photograph, and they tend to flick their wings often. You catch as catch can. Kinglets are active foragers. Arthropods, small insects, and the eggs of spiders are gleaned from the banches and leaves of trees and shrubs. Kinglets forage from tree top to the ground. They will sometimes catch prey acting a bit like flycatchers.

Ruby Crowned Kinglets are more prevalent than Golden Crowns in our area. The red erectile top-knot is often not visible. A male Ruby Crown will generally not display unless it is in dispute with another male. It is a sign of aggression.

In migration, kinglets will flock with other species such as chickadees and wood warblers.

One final bit of trivia, these birds which do no stand still are also quite small. Interestingly, it would take three ot five of them just to make one ounce. That is truly remarkable.

Regardless, kinglets are a sure sign of fall. I'll still grab my binoculars in an effort to find...and see if the bird is a Ruby or a Golden.

Photos by Bill Ravenscroft