Birds Bugs Buds

It comes around just like clockwork: the mid-October plethora of Golden-crowned Kinglets.

I first noticed this abundance of the birds some years ago while working at Queens Botanical Garden. I was on my daily lunchtime walk with a work pal on a sunny, slightly warm mid-October day when we noticed the first kinglet – then a second, a third … at which point we realized we were surrounded by them!

Golden-crowned Kinglet / Queens, NY ©Shari Romar

It was so spectacular that I clocked out of work for the afternoon (must’ve been a quiet day in the office) and sat in a lawn area with my camera. The little birds were all over and didn’t mind my presence at all – in fact, they often got so close that I couldn’t focus my camera lens, and one actually landed on my shoe.

Since that experience, I’ve noticed the same deluge of kinglets every year starting around October 10th, give or take a day, of course.

Golden-crowned Kinglets are tiny birds just under 4” long, with a 7” wingspan. They have a round body and largish head giving them a chubby look accentuated, to me at least, by a little black beak perfect for grabbing small insects on tree branches. The feathers are a pale olive on top and light gray underside with wing feathers sporting a thin white bar and yellow edges. Their face is more distinctive with its black-and-white striping as well as the yellow-and-black striped crown.

I was looking forward to this year’s spectacle – for me, it’s right up there with fall foliage – but I was concerned. A nor’easter came through at “kinglet time” bringing loads of rain and high winds, and I wasn’t sure how my little friends would manage.

A couple days after the storm, I was on an after-work stroll along a tree-lined but very busy street in my neighborhood when I heard a tiny, high-pitched squeak. I stopped in my tracks, looked at a nearby oak tree, and there they were – my first October kinglet with about 15 of his friends! As always, they seemed almost tame, busily eating tiny insects only an arm’s length away from me!

Golden-Crowned Kinglet / Queens, NY ©Shari Romar

With nice weather forecasted for the weekend, I planned for another kinglet immersion experience, this time with camera in hand and headed to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, a spot I don’t visit often, but where I had a hunch the birds would be.

And I was right! Golden-crowned Kinglets hopped all around the branches but were either too fast for me to focus, or too deep into the leaves for a photo. Thankfully, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Song Sparrows, American Coots and even a Palm Warbler were a bit more cooperative for photos. Plus the butterflyweed seed heads were both aesthetically perfect and far easier to photograph than birds!

Yellow-rumped Warbler / Queens, NY ©Shari Romar

My original intention was to spend only an hour or so at the park, but I kept wandering and without realizing it, a few hours had passed, and I was now at the park edge where it connects to Queens Botanical Garden. I couldn’t resist a visit given my positive kinglet experience years before.

Yet again, the birds were too fast or too deep in the trees for a good look, however an Eastern Phoebe settled on a branch for a rest in between its quick foraging flights and I spotted a Dark-eyed Junco.

Eastern Phoebe / Queens, NY ©Shari Romar

Near QBG’s Fragrance Walk, Blue Jays were causing a ruckus, while the American Robins focused on eating the fruit of cherry trees. At this point, I was at 5 hours and 6 miles into my trip and figured it was time to start heading home. I could be content that the kinglets made their annual appearance even if I couldn’t get a snap of one.

American Robin / Queens, NY ©Shari Romar

But just a last stop — this time to QBG’s pretty Herb Garden where I saw a quick flyby of an American Goldfinch. As I waited for its return, I noticed the smallest movement in a nearby witch-hazel tree. Certain it was just leaves in the breeze, I didn’t pay much notice but thankfully I gave a second look…

And it WAS a kinglet but not my expected one – it was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet! Somewhat similar in appearance to its Golden-crowned relative, these are actually a bit smaller and instead of the black-and-white stripes on the face, Ruby-crowns have a whitish ring of feathers around the eye. And as if you couldn’t tell by the name, they also have a ruby-colored crest (males only), though it isn’t often visible.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet / Queens, NY ©Shari Romar

This little kinglet, like the other species, was so busy finding an insect snack along the witch-hazel branches that it didn’t take any notice of me or the group starting to assemble nearby for a wedding ceremony. And this time, I could get photos!

After 6+ miles of walking, I opted for the bus to home which also gave me time to research the timing of my kinglet experiences, and I was happy my observations were accurate. According to the Sibley Guides app: in New York, Golden-crowned Kinglets are common in October but uncommon the rest of the year, while Ruby-crowned are also common in October as well as April.

So now you know for next year: October is the month for spectacular fall color, and you can add kinglets to your must-see list for the season.