Kinglets Come and Go
By Mike • October 31, 2008 • 5 commentsIn many temperate zones, birds of the genus Regulus are among the first to arrive in spring and the last to pass through come fall. In North America, Ruby-crowned (Regulus calendula) and Golden-crowned (Regulus satrapa) Kinglets essentially herald both spring and winter. These “petty kings” are frenetic feeders that hop manically, often in mixed flocks, from branch to branch.
Spotting fall’s last flight of kinglets often moves me to melancholy, or worse. A few years back, a Regulus rendezvous inspired me to pen a rather violent verse which was on the old blog but never made the migration to WordPress:
A kinglet is named for its crown,
Which can hardly be seen from the ground,
If the bird is above,
You can give it a shove,
And look at its dome while it’s down!
It should go without saying that accosting kinglets is very bad form, as is my poetry!
That’s not funny…
- For more excellent Ruby-crowned Kinglet shots, check out Corey’s gorgeous gallery
- For better bird limericks, check out our reader-submitted anthology
• Looking for a good book or field guide? We've got some suggestions... •
[...] Original post by [places for writers] [...]
Or Haiku
Blurry photograph
Even though I aimed so well
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Hi Mike…I have been enjoying your website lately…saw u posted on mine today…This is our first time in Cape May and we are having a blast and a few lifers as well…as fairly new birders we have allot to learn..We have been here a few weeks and our wheels go south monday…stopping to do some birding along the way…our next destination is my sisters in north Carolina..and hour south of Raleigh..we will take our big rig on the ferry south…Any suggestions of where to stop along the way?
Perfect, Peter.
Dawn, you’ve got a perfect lifestyle for birding. Head south as the birds do! On the ferry, you might keep your eyes open for pelagics like shearwaters or storm-petrels. The Delmarva Peninsula also offers outstanding birding. I hit Virginia Beach this summer and loved it.
As far as North Carolina goes, I highly recommend you contact our buddy N8 at The Drinking Bird. He is doing a North Carolina Big Year and has the state wired!
Fine doggerel, Mike. Love your insight into Kinglets!