![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ruby-crowned-kinglet-0060-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"ruby-crowned-kinglet-0060-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nI’m pleased anytime I can get decent photos of these secretive little dynamos. Both of these shots were taken a year ago in northern Utah.<\/p>\n
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1\/3200, f\/6,3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Their diminutive size and\u00a0cryptic coloration makes them extremely difficult to\u00a0spot in many habitats, including this one. Normally I’d probably complain a\u00a0little about the leaf in front of the rear of the bird but with this difficult species I’ll hold my tongue.<\/p>\n I’m often surprised by how much color variation I see in their feet.\u00a0BNA Online says\u00a0their feet are “medium brown on dorsum of toes. Underside of feet yellow, tinged slightly with orange”.\u00a0BNA allows for no color variations among individuals, sexes or ages and usually they do if they’re present.<\/p>\n But I see no yellow or orange anywhere on the feet of this bird. The tinge of yellow beneath the right foot is actually the bud of the leaf hanging down beneath it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2500, f\/6,3, 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<\/em><\/p>\n But on the same morning this\u00a0male had feet that were almost entirely yellow-orange which reminded me just a little of the “golden slippers” of Snowy Egrets.<\/p>\n I see this photo as a tradeoff. With his head tilted at this angle I didn’t get a catch light in the eye but\u00a0that angle\u00a0allowed me one of my best looks ever at the ruby crown of the species. Only males have it and usually it’s completely\u00a0hidden deep\u00a0inside the other\u00a0feathers of the crown.<\/p>\n We’ve had mostly stormy, cloudy weather for a couple of weeks now so because of poor light\u00a0it’s now been 13 days since I’ve been out shooting. The upside to our recent weather pattern\u00a0is that many migrating songbirds have been pushed south or down out of the mountains and into the\u00a0valleys by the storms. Kinglets and a variety of warblers are among the species being reported and I was really hoping to\u00a0get back into the field this morning.<\/p>\n But a 4:30 AM look at the satellite and weather radar dashed my hopes. It looks like there’s a band of clouds moving in that will ruin the morning.<\/p>\n When\u00a0I think about cursing the weather I think about the victims of hurricane Michael and that puts it all in perspective. Best of luck to everyone in the southeast states!<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’m pleased anytime I can get decent photos of these secretive little dynamos.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ruby-crowned-kinglet-0326-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"ruby-crowned-kinglet-0326-ron-dudley\\"")
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