04 | January | 2014 | Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller

It has been a long time since I have written about the Ruby-crowned Kinglets. I tried to see some yesterday morning but they were not to be found. So I am going to write about them anyway. These photos were taken about a year ago, and I took them from my archives. They are tiny birds. They flit around in thick underbrush. They think they can hide from my long lens. To actually get the images showing the ruby colored spot on the head of the male was a bonus. It is usually concealed.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

In actuality, I was only about 25 feet away from him, sitting in my car/blind. At the Cottonwood Campground in Big Bend National Park there is an area along the boundary of the area where there is fence that is partly obscured by thick vines and brush. I brought my car close and drove very, very slowly at a silent idling speed along the area. I was constantly looking into the brush with my binoculars.

We finally noticed a lot activity in the dense foliage. We stopped and silently watched the kinglets and some other sparrow types hassling each other. I had my Canon EOS 7D with a 100-400mm zoom lens at the ready. I spotted one kinglet throught the viewfinder and tracked him through branches, trying to catch him at a brief stop. That is the only way one is going to get a photograph. To make it easier, I set the focus so I was using only one center focus point. Otherwise, the lens goes wild trying to get the bird in focus between the vines and twigs.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Enjoy the photos and click on any of them to see enlargements.

On the subject of birding, Ann and I are on a quest to see at least 210 birds this year. Our previous annual record is 194 and we feel that if we stay alert we can get to our new goal. We are off to a good start. Here is our list for the first four days of the new year. I will update you as we go. 41 is our current total.