Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula is one of the tiniest songbirds in North America, only slightly larger than its cousin the golden-crowned kinglet. Ornithologists estimate these 5-10 gram (0.2-0.4 oz) birds burn only 10 calories per day, despite their hyperactivity. They are in constant motion, so finding them with a long lens is extremely challenging, and when they are still for a second, it is usually behind twigs that confound the best autofocus system. Unlike their sligntly smaller cousin, the golden-crowned kinglet, they evacuate New England during the winter, and return to the North Woods to breed. These birds were newly arrived migrants, and NH, in fact, is at the southern limits of their breeding range, so perhaps they were preparing to move even further north. They hawked out over Brickyard Pond, seizing invisible insects before returning to shrubs on the banks of the pond. Breeding males have red crests, but these are often hidden by green feathers. (Keene State College; 21 May, 2018)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula is one of the tiniest songbirds in North America, only slightly larger than its cousin the golden-crowned kinglet. Ornithologists estimate these 5-10 gram (0.2-0.4 oz) birds burn only 10 calories per day, despite their hyperactivity. They are in constant motion, so finding them with a long lens is extremely challenging, and when they are still for a second, it is usually behind twigs that confound the best autofocus system. Unlike their sligntly smaller cousin, the golden-crowned kinglet, they evacuate New England during the winter, and return to the North Woods to breed. These birds were newly arrived migrants, and NH, in fact, is at the southern limits of their breeding range, so perhaps they were preparing to move even further north. They hawked out over Brickyard Pond, seizing invisible insects before returning to shrubs on the banks of the pond. Breeding males have red crests, but these are often hidden by green feathers. (Keene State College; 21 May, 2018)