Ruby-crowned Kinglet and friends

I am waiting for the spring migration to begin, as are many birders. It is that time of year when we start getting some new birds moving, either through, or arriving here for the summer. We all need the excitement to forget about all of the winter doldrums.

Having said that, perhaps I am a bit over-anxious. After all, this is still mid-March so it will be a couple of weeks or more until it gets exciting. So, I just go out and look for excitement. This time, it was in the form of three Ruby-crowned Kinglets that Ann and I spotted on Monday. It is always fun trying to photograph these tiny birds. Rarely sitting still, and flitting from one branch to a nearby twig or fence. So, it was a a bonus when one of them starting to show it’s red crown. I got several images, but it took me about seventy attempts and I came away with only about four usable photos. Here are two of the best.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

A few days earlier, we had received several thunderstorms so the local parks were pretty well saturated. Not wanting to spend time driving through the mud, we opted to go to San Angelo State Park. We checked into the blind to see what was hanging out. I really don’t like the blind when the sun is bright, as there is a problem with harsh shadows. However, I figured it was better to get poor shots than no shots at all. I was able to correct the light in the following photos. Not too bad, after all.

Northern Bobwhite

Curve-billed Thrasher

Pyrrhuloxia

This photo of the Fox Sparrow is not up to my standards, with the grass being a distraction, but this was the first time I ever had the opportunity to photograph one. It is uncommon here, and was only visible for a few short minutes.

Fox Sparrow

We left the blind for a quick drive around the area. Pickin’s were a little slim. I guess the birds had not fully recovered from the storms. We did come across this pretty Black-throated Sparrow.