Kinglet in December

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Kinglet in December

December 5, 2020 by Mike Powell

Although they are barely larger than the hummingbirds that migrate south when the weather turns cold, Golden-crowned Kinglets (Regulus satrapa) spend their winters in my home area of Northern Virginia. In addition to being tiny, Golden-crowned Kinglets often forage high in the trees, which makes them really tough to photograph.

I was really happy to capture this image of a Golden-crowned Kinglet on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge as it was feeding on a cluster of poison ivy berries. Looking through the branches you can see the bird’s lemon-yellow “crown” and the the beautiful pattern on its wings.

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Golden-crowned Kinglet, kinglet, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Regulus satrapa, Setophaga coronata, Woodbridge VA | 16 Comments

16 Responses

on December 5, 2020 at 9:06 am | Reply Patricia M Osborne

Great shot, Mike. I enjoyed learning about the kinglet. I hadn’t heard of this bird before.
- on December 5, 2020 at 9:31 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Patricia. There is a similarly-sized Ruby-crowned Kinglet that I hope to be able to photograph in the upcoming weeks. Now that the leaves are mostly gone from the trees, I have a better chance of being able to spot these little birds.
  - on December 6, 2020 at 8:19 am Patricia M Osborne
    
    I look forward to seeing the ruby-crowned kinglet.
  - on December 6, 2020 at 8:45 am Mike Powell
    
    Here is a sneak preview for you, a link to some shots of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet that I took several years ago. https://michaelqpowell.com/2018/01/03/ruby-crowned-kinglet/
  - on December 7, 2020 at 8:18 am Patricia M Osborne
    
    Thank you, Mike. They are gorgeous.
on December 5, 2020 at 9:36 am | Reply Dan Antion

He looks more furry than feathery.
- on December 5, 2020 at 9:59 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Probably trying to stay warm. 🙂
on December 5, 2020 at 9:44 am | Reply Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography

Great catch, impossible to photograph…at least the 99.9% of the time they are moving
- on December 5, 2020 at 9:58 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Ted. This one was hovering a split second before I got this shot, so I can testify to the fact they are constantly in motion. The shot is not quite as sharp as I might have liked, but I am still happy to have captured it. 🙂
on December 5, 2020 at 11:57 am | Reply doerfpub

Congrats on getting the crown as they are not aft to reveal that feature to us very often.
- on December 5, 2020 at 3:24 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. It indeed is unusual for me to get a decent look at the crown–most of the time I have to rely on other identification features.
on December 5, 2020 at 12:47 pm | Reply NJUrbanForest

Great shot Mike! I’m glad you have them for the winter. I have yet to see a Golden-Crowned Kinglet!
on December 5, 2020 at 1:27 pm | Reply Reed Andariese

Nice Mike! I have not seen one before!
on December 5, 2020 at 2:05 pm | Reply Mitzy Bricker

Pretty, pretty!

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on December 6, 2020 at 4:40 pm | Reply Molly Lin Dutina

Too bad it is spreading the poison ivy But oh, what a nice photo! And you did not have to climb a tree, either 😉
- on December 7, 2020 at 1:14 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I definitely am not about to climb trees, especially those with poison ivy vines. 🙂