Plus a cute and hungry muskrat thrown in for good measure.
If you’re a Ruby-crowned Kinglet you have two cardinal rules to live by: never come completely out into the open and never stay in the same spot for more than a nanosecond. This kinglet forgot both rules.
1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I photographed “her” two days ago in extreme Northern Utah and she wasn’t alone. There were so many kinglets in the tree that I remarked to Mia that I’d never seen that many kinglets in the same place at the same time. I couldn’t even guess how many there were but it was a bunch and that was just those I could see. There were probably many more. But typical of kinglets they wouldn’t come out in the open and play and whenever they almost did they didn’t stay long enough for me to get my lens on them. Kinglets are like that.
But then this one forgot the rules and landed on a leaf right in front of me and out in the open. And she actually stayed there long enough for me to get dozens of shots. This was one of my favorites.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Based on her gape color I’d guess she’s a hatch year bird. Many of her poses didn’t give me a look at her face or a catch light in her eye but I got both with this head turn.
For some reason I keep noticing the way she grasped the leaf with her feet to use it as a perch. A single horizontal leaf supporting the entire weight of the bird is indicative of just how tiny and lightweight these birds actually are. Weighing in at only 6.5 grams this species is among North America’s smallest birds. For the sake of comparison House Sparrows weigh 28 grams, more than 4 times as much as kinglets.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
She even allowed me a look at her face and beautifully patterned wings and tail when she turned her back to me.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Since kinglets are as small as they are they’re also proportionately fast when they take off. If I hadn’t guessed right by beginning to fire a burst before she launched I wouldn’t have had a chance of getting this shot, not even close. Of course I’m disappointed by the position of her right wing and the resulting large shadow it threw but at least that wing didn’t hide her face.
At the risk of giving today’s post an abrupt bipolar flavor I’m going to close by switching from feathers to fur. Wet fur.
Yesterday’s birding trip to Farmington Bay WMA was mostly a bust resulting in me deleting all my photos of birds but at the last minute this muskrat saved the day. It was mostly out of the water and in great morning light as it munched on brunch. The vertical cattail stalks provided a perfect semicircular and protective alcove for it to feel safe in while it was eating and at the same time the stalks framed the muskrat nicely in my photos.
We have “weather” coming in soon and it’s looking like the seasons might be about to change. Lows in the 20’s and possible snow are forecast. I hope the weather front brings in some birds because their numbers around here have been pretty discouraging lately.
Ron
The kinglet photos are fantastic. So hard to catch these little guys!
Lucky day! plus years of practice.
Absolutely sensational series Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
Seeing a bird standing on a leaf — a LEAF! — just blows me away! Quite the lovely specimen too. Glad you got so many nice shots!
That looks like one happy Muskrat — wonder if it is Susie or Sam. 😉
It blew me away too, Marty. I knew they were lightweights but…
Ron, photos of the Kinglet are quite amazing, particularly considering their size and their illusiveness. The colors on the wing are quite beautiful.
The muskrat looks very content. Thank you
Contented he was, Alice. He munched happily away for quite a while before he eventually went into deeper water.
Wonderful shots, Ron. Interesting info about the red gape. None of my books or googlings even mention it.
Lyle, typically the gape of young birds is more brightly colored in many species, making the gape easier to see. I just presumed that also applies to kinglets.
Wonderful shots, Ron. Interesting info about the red gape. None of my books or googling even mention it.
Ooooh.
I have just started my morning deleting over 100 comments from a spambot. And was more than happy to switch gears and move into awe and wonder mode.
Many, many thanks. I am particularly drawn to the wing and tail patterns – but loved them all.
Thanks, EC. I’ve been very lucky in that I have very few issues with spam. Hope it lasts.
Just noticed that my comments didn’t go to the top again. They are under those of Kathy.
I have no idea why that’s happening to you, Dan. And I can’t move your comment on my end.
That kinglet was stunning. Love those wings.
Muskrat fever, muskrat love…
Ear worm, ear worm! Thanks, Arwen.
Great shots, but I always say that about your images, and I love the Muskrat picture. All my Muskrat images are swimming. I envy this pose!
I think we all, in one form or another, are in the same boat concerning the number of birds, number of species, we are observing during the day!
You know how we can hope something is not true, even though we see it, talk about it, until reality sets in and science reveals the truth. Interesting how that happens! Our avian number here at our humble abode have dwindled down to 7 House Sparrows, 4 Red-wings, 11 Rock Doves, 3 Goldfinches and 1 Song Sparrow, pretty sad. That is one days observation before 2 inches of rain fell yesterday!
Stay warm – Winter is coming hard.
Most of my muskrat photos show them swimming too, Dick. Pretty fun to find this one mostly out of the water and in good light.
Well done capturing these beautiful photos of the kinglet! Another one of my favorite little birds! I have lots of favorites:)
I love the muskrat photo too.
Thank you, Joanne.
Recently I have had some very tiny birds flitting around in the tree in back of my house. They are so small and never stay still long enough for me to see them in the binoculars. I wonder if these are the birds who are visiting. Lovely pictures.
Sounds like kinglets to me, Betty. Could be this species or Golden-crowned which are even slightly smaller.
A kinglet in the open is about as rare as snow in my Florida yard.
Superb series of photographs, Ron! Fantastic detail, something these little nervous birds seldom hold still for us to obtain.
I think I have only photographed one completely in the open, and I had to travel from FL to New Mexico to get that one!
OMG! I totally forgot to mention the magnificent muskrat! Love the detailed fur and its “protective alcove” framing.
(Please don’t tell the Equal Rights For Muskrat League I overlooked one of their members.)
Wally, they’re only come out into the open a couple of times for me and I’ve worked pretty darned hard on them.
The Kinglet is so cute. Great shots of her. Love the shot of the Muskrat. He/she looks very contented. We aren’t that cold yet. Hope you don’t get a lot of snow.
Thanks, Jean. I doubt if we’ll get much but lake effect can make it very hard to predict.
Love the little Muskrat image !! Thanks for tossing it in at the end !!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Gary. I’m always hesitant to mix things up like that but I know at least some folks don’t mind and I wanted to use the image because I liked it.
Very good photos Ron. Really like the last two – the turned photo with the very colorful wings and the take off. I like the take off very much even with the shadowed wing. I have a couple photos of Ruby-crowned Kinglets somewhere, but can’t remember if they were out in the open or not. The muskrat brings back childhood memories. When I was an elementary age child in semi-rural suburban Philadelphia in the 1940’s I used to trap muskrats for a neighbor who sold the pelts to Sears and Roebuck. I had four or five traps set in nearby creeks and used to get up very early and go get the trapped muskrats out and take them to this neighbor. I forget, but I think he paid me $2.00 per muskrat. So funny that now in my 80’s I am somewhat squeamish trapping a mouse. 🙂
Thank you, Everett. Interesting muskrat story. As a kid one of my “jobs” on the MT farm was to shoot and trap “gophers” because they did so much crop damage. I couldn’t do that today, especially the trapping.
Great photos of the kinglet! All are terrific even the ‘wing’…they are so difficult to capture well. I like to catch the back views…sometimes the way their colors lay are missed…it can be more interesting than the front view. For some reason I think their attitude is different with fall migration vs spring migration. I’m catching a few kinglets and a lot of warblers these days and they seem to have a more ‘relaxed’ attitude…or perhaps it is just my imagination! 🤨 Maybe its that ‘going home’ feeling I’m perceiving. Neat photo of the muskrat…
“For some reason I think their attitude is different with fall migration vs spring migration”
Kathy, I wonder if the fact that many of the fall migrators are juveniles might be part of that equation since juveniles of most species tend to be far less skittish. Just a thought but difficult to validate because juvies look almost exactly like adults.
Never gave that a thought but it would certainly make sense.
It’s always a treat to be able to photograph kinglets. I might suggest that there are two other rules that kinglets follow. If by chance, you find yourself in the open for a few nanoseconds, always be sure to keep one leaf between you and any camera and, if you are male, never expose the ruby crown unlit the camera is lowered. In truth, I actually do have photos (just a few) of Ruby-drowned Kinglets, even the crown. It’s the Golden-crowned Kinglets I’ve no photos of. They’re too fast, too secretive and usually, too high in the trees. Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos and thanks for the muskrat. I seldom see them here any longer.
“if you are male, never expose the ruby crown unlit the camera is lowered”
Absolutely, Dan – that one especially should be added to the list. I have a few that show the male’s crimson crown but most only show it obliquely when it isn’t raised completely. How incredibly stunning that crown is when it’s fully raised.
Beautiful little bird – gave you some nice poses! 🙂 The wing coloring is a wonderful clue for me on identifying them other than size. Changing gold finches and pine siskins at a quick glance are “similar” to my untrained eye 😉 Muskrat also cooperated giving a nice photo – guessing winter preparation is on it’s mind. Doesn’t sound like a lot of snow for Cut Bank (or here) – more wind and cold. Here’s hoping!
Thanks, Judy. I have more trouble distinguishing them from species like vireos than I do the ones you mention.
“Wind and cold” – typical winter weather recipe for east slope MT…
Lovely series of a normally shy bird. The first is my favorite.
Thank you, Nancy.