To Capture a Kinglet

The only bird that’s smaller than a Kinglet is a Hummingbird. We have two species of Kinglets at Seagroves Pond: Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned. Both species are busy birds. They move from branch to branch and twig to twig in small hops, usually not more than 8-12 inches at a time. They’re constantly looking for insects and other food.

But the constant motion presents a problem in trying to photograph them. No sooner do I press the shutter than the bird decides to move on to the next spot. Although it can be frustrating, it often amuses me when I’m looking through shots to see the Kinglet first in a nice pose on a branch, then in the next shot to see a blur headed somewhere out of the frame.

Even so, it’s rewarding when a shot pays off. This picture of a female Ruby-crowned Kinglet was part of the second pair of images, above.

The Kinglets will be around for another few weeks, then they’ll migrate north for the summer. The Golden-crowned will go about as far a Quebec; The Ruby-Crowned Kinglets can migrate as far as Labrador. They’ll come back to us in October or November.