Ruby-crowned Kinglets in Wascana Park, Regina

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Regina, SK  © SB

Ruby-crowned Kinglets fluttered through the bushes along the edge of the water at Wascana Park, their heads lit by a red flame.

These tiny birds (smaller than a warbler or chickadee) have a lovely trick of hiding — or flashing — their bright crown feathers.

At least, the males do; sometimes their ruby crown is visible, and sometimes it's not. (And, from the bird books, sometimes it's far more flashy than shown here.)

Sometimes, too, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet itself would be visible for me...

However, during most of the time I stood watching them, they dove and wove through low stalks, keeping twigs and branches between themselves and my camera, with only an occasional flash of red confirming their presence.

And I have many shots of their tails and backs, or the tips of their beaks peeking out, their rest of their chubby bodies and greenish-buff feathers hidden behind grey branches.

Spring — what fun!

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Wascana Park, Regina. © SB

What are these? Ruby-crowned Kinglets — Roitelet à couronne rubis
Location: Wascana Park, beyond the Connexus Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada 
Photo dates: April 25, 2016.

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