There hasn't been a great deal of interest happening in the yard lately but I was surprised and pleased to see a Golden-crowned Kinglet in one of the feeder trees. We'd just noted our first Ruby-crowned Kinglet in October, and this was the first Golden-crowned that we'd noted. Kinglets are lovely little birds, "little" being the operative word. They sometimes hover a bit as they feed, often near the ends of branches. A too-hasty glance can lead one to at first think one is seeing a hummingbird. David Sibley notes that the two species of kinglet "differ in many respects." Not the least of the differences is that the crowns that give them their names are displayed quite differently. The gorgeous yellow feathers on the GCK are pretty much always visible, but a glimpse of the RCK's red top is a rare treat.
Both species of kinglet are peripatetic little guys, so they're very difficult to photograph. I managed a fair shot of a GCK in some grass along the Murfreesboro [TN] Greenway a few years ago:
The one this morning seems not to have hung around long, as I have not seen it again.
By way of updating yard status, the Pine Siskins have put in only occasional appearances since I first noted them a week ago. The number of Purple Finches has also gone way down. A Red-breasted Nuthatch that was around off and on for awhile has also not been in evidence lately. I do hope he/she comes back! Goldfinches, Juncos, Chickadees, and Titmice are still numerous, and a pair or so of Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, plus White-breasted Nuthatches, spend a lot of time on the suet feeders.
No comments:
Post a Comment