Ruby Crowned Kinglet

One of our spring/summer birds is the Ruby Crowned Kinglet. This little insect eater spends winter farther south than our area. Since the beginning of April we have spotted the Ruby Crowned Kinglet in Luria Park.

This little bird measures 3-1/2 to 4 inches long. They seem nervous as they flit though tree branches and undergrowth. You can find them on the edge of a thicket in the sun flitting around catching insects. We saw this little guy in the evening as the last of the sun's rays were on the edges of the park. You can see the small ruby streak on top of his head which is more apparent and raised when he is angry or on high alert.

When you are in the park look for a small hyper bird with some yellow feather shafts and a small streak of red on top of his head. You will have found the Ruby Crowned Kinglet!

(all photographs taken in Luria Park.)

 Why a Raymondale bird blog? Dan and Beth Fedorko have been inventorying birds for Cornell University's Backyard Bird Count (www.feederwatch.org) which runs November through April each year. This inventory keeps track of migratory patterns, possible diseases, and decline and increase in bird populations. In response to the Raymondale Environmental Stewardship Task Force, we have started this blog which is separate from the general Raymondale news blog and more personal, to share our finds and photographs. If you see any birds in the neighborhood and surrounding parkland, please send us a photo! We'll help you identify it and might even post it on the blog!