Golden-crowned Kinglets at the Cox Arboretum Metropark in Dayton

Rick and I visited the Cox Arboretum MetroPark in Dayton, OH Sunday afternoon. It was our first time there, and I'm glad we went. We didn't know anything about the park, so after looking at the trail map, we decided to take the 1.8 mile "yellow" trail. According to the map, it wound through a mature deciduous forest interspersed with cedar groves. It promised to be birdy, and after only a few minutes, a Brown Creeper started his high-pitched peeping, and we soon saw him spiraling up a tree just off the path. Within seconds of our "ooohhing" and "ahhhhing" over the creeper, a little band of Golden-crowned Kinglets dropped in on us. The intrepid little birds came in so close I was amazed and wondered if they would try to land on us. They were scouring the branches in a flurry of movement, snapping up tiny insects right and left. It was exciting (and very deja vu Maumee Bay)...

A Golden-crowned Kinglet zipped in beside us...so close!

...sweet little kinglet with the golden crown.

Look closely between her bill. She has a tiny insect!

The golden light of late afternoon washes over this little kinglet.

I see you!

The Cox Arboretum MetroPark was lovely. I definitely want to go back this spring and summer to photograph butterflies. The wetland and bird blind looked interesting as well. 

I will pick back up with the Maumee Bay posts, but these little kinglets were so cute I had to post them right away!

We struck gold at Maumee Bay State Park...

I just returned from an exciting mini birding trip to Maumee Bay State Park in Toledo, Ohio. I went up with my parents, aunt and cousin, and we really had fun (Rick had to work, but he's coming next year!). There is nothing like big water, fall migration, autumn color, and brisk, cool temperatures to create a little adventure.  A beautiful boardwalk picks up on the grounds of the park just east of the Maumee Bay Lodge where we stayed. The boardwalk wound through a swamp forest thick with golden maple leaves and opened into a wetland marsh washed in golds and yellows. Gold was definitely the color of the day, and even the first bird we saw on the boardwalk was golden...

A Golden-crowned Kinglet greeted us as we walked on the boardwalk at Maumee Bay State Park. 

 This female was part of a flock of five Golden-crowned Kinglets. They were twittering back and forth to each other, making a tiny ruckus among the gold leaves along the boardwalk. They came in so close, and stayed around us so long, it was like they were welcoming us to Lake Erie, the Great Black Swamp, and all things north! 

...the bright yellows and golds along the boardwalk set a festive mood, and the swish of leaves as we waded through them added to the fun. Rosy cheeks, cold noses and flannel...I love the celebration of autumn. 

...our little band of kinglets followed us around. Love her sweet golden crown!

...the temps were biting just a bit when the wind kicked up. Nothing like the sight of a kinglet puffed up to keep out the cold!

I already miss the boardwalk, the crisp leaves crunching underfoot, and the sound of gulls and terns along Lake Erie...and the fun I had with my family. We will be back next year for fall migration again...(and for the great food at the lodge restaurant...yum!) 

For an older post with more info on kinglets and photos that show a male displaying his tangerine beret, click here.

Spring's beauties...

It was cool this afternoon at 46 degrees, but it was sunny, and you could feel the shift of winter to spring in the warmth of its rays, so I headed over to the Little Miami River to see if any wildflowers were blooming. I knew I wouldn't be able to walk very long, but I wanted to see some of spring's beauties...

Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)

Spring Beauties are one of the first ephemerals to bloom along the Little Miami River.

When identifying Spring Beauties, look for five stamens with pink anthers and long thin leaves. The stem is often reddish and the petals have beautiful pink striations.  

Golden-crowned Kinglet...another one of spring's beauties (...although we have Golden-crowned Kinglets in our woods all winter, they look especially sweet in spring).

A male Golden-crowned Kinglet displays his orange crest!

While walking along the Little Miami River, I heard the high-pitched see-see-seeing of a Golden-crowned Kinglet. It didn't take me long to find a little female flitting from branch to branch looking for something to eat. She was fairly high in the tree, so I did a little pishing to see if she would come in a little closer. She was very curious of the sound and dropped right down! While I had my camera lens trained on her, a male popped into the frame. "Whoa!" raced through my mind as I watched him raising his "tangerine beret" for all he was worth. His orange crest was brilliant, and I paused to watch. Mistake. He was out of focus in flash and flitting here, there and everywhere...

(If you're not familiar with "pishing" in a bird, check out Mike's post on 10,000 Birds, "The Fine Art of Pishing," for a description! :-)

A female Golden-crowned Kinglet on the left was more interested in my pishing sounds than the male's incredible territorial display of his orange crest, which normally stays hidden among yellow feathers.

The male quickly got used to my pishing sounds and decided nothing was amiss. His tangerine feathers instantly settled back down among the yellow...all but hidden from sight.

...the little female Golden-crowned Kinglet was very curious about the pishing sounds and hung around a little longer.

Luckily she turned around to give us a perfect view of her golden crown.

...but mostly she stayed safely tucked behind a tangle of branches—a special talent kinglets have!

...yes, I see you!

The Little Miami River at the abandoned Peter's Cartridge Factory is an ideal place to find Golden-crowned Kinglets. In the winter, bike traffic is low, so the trail is quiet, and the Golden-crowned's high-pitched calls carry through the trees effortlessly, making it easy to spot the little balls of fluff. I see them almost every time I walk the trail in winter.

Beak Bit

Golden-crowned Kinglets are tiny birds. The only bird in our eastern woods smaller is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird...and to top that off, Golden-crowned Kinglets can be found here all year! It's amazing these birds stay through the winter because they are insect eaters. Kinglets will eat a few grass seeds and elderberries, and they sip from sap wells created by sapsuckers, but they prefer insects. During the winter, they survive by devouring the insect larva and eggs hidden in crevices in bark, branch tips, and dried leaves. This provides a valuable service to us, because by eliminating the eggs and larva in the winter, kinglets help control plant-eating insect populations in the summer. In "Birds of Forest, Yard, & Thicket," by John Eastman (a book I've had for a long time and always enjoy reading, plus it's the source of this information), Eastman writes:

"They consume an abundance of tiny springtails (Collembola) and many bark hibernators—pine and spruce aphids, psyllids, fly larvae, and scale insects—plus eggs of aphids and other insects. Such a diet, researchers believe, provides the major winter sustenance of north-wintering golden crowns..."

A Golden-crowned Kinglet and a snowy day on the Little Miami...

I saw this Golden-crowned Kinglet on January 30, 2011 along the Little Miami River. It was one of those rare "sunny" winter days (ours are most often gray), and deep evening shadows had stretched through the winter woods creating an eerie blue world. The kinglet paid no mind to the sapphire glow, and went about the business of feeding himself. He had a long night ahead and needed the fuel to stay warm...

Painting 140. A Golden-crowned Kinglet on a Snowy Day

Watercolor, 9x8 Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb Paper

This little fellow was so close to me. He was off the trail about 5 feet in a tiny gully. A dead branch was sticking out of the snow and offered him the perfect perch. I was looking down at him, watching his endless foraging when he paused for a moment and looked up at me. It was a tiny little look with a tiny little head tilt, but it was there. He immediately went back to the hunt, and in a few minutes flew further down the trail. This is the same bird that appears in paintings 118 and 119. Click here if you want to see them...they are among my favorites.

Pencil sketch of a Golden-crowned Kinglet

I completed the sketch for this painting back in February! It was snowing on that day, and now that I read the text, I remember the snowflakes were huge. Nature journaling (even if it is from the car) is a great way to remember the special moments of a day.

Sometimes they actually sit still...

...and sit right above you too! Late Sunday afternoon while walking along the Little Miami River, this Golden-crowned Kinglet dropped in for a visit. I eased down the side of the hill a bit and then sat in the middle of a honeysuckle thicket to watch her. She was perched in one spot...looking around and peeping...sitting totally still! And then she flew right above me and peeped some more. She continued with her peeping from 03:12:47 p.m. to 03:14:47 p.m.--two minutes of a stationary kinglet!

A female Golden-crowned Kinglet sizes me up from an overhead perch--you can just barely see her golden crown.

Look at that little open bill as she sings in mid-peep! It seems the skin at the base of her lower mandible is translucent because the little orange patch under her bill is not feathers. It's the light shining through the skin (or really thin part of the hard bill maybe?) where the bill is attached.

...a close-up of the translucent skin/bill where her bill attaches to her body (just kind of cool--I've never seen that before because I've never been that close to a kinglet!).

...messing around with color.

I've been working with a lot of detail and realism lately, so I checked out of that for a couple of days and went with color and feeling...

Painting 124, "Bird in Deep Night" is simple and primitive...just night colors and a sweet sleeping bird. I didn't use standard shadows...made the bird flat so he's not too real.

(Oil Pastel, 9x12 Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb Paper)

Painting 123, "Happy June Cherries" follows the same theme...color and feeling...simple and primitive. Again, no real shading...I wanted the bird flat with energy (can you tell I had just devoured TWO chocolate "fundraiser" bars? Happy February Chocolate was coursing through my veins...).

(Oil Pastel, 9x12 Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb Paper)

Painting 122, "Golden-crowned Kinglet in Autumn" is a bright and watery watercolor, but I controlled the second wash in the background by limiting the palette to red and yellow with a heavy pigment load. This painting started as a realistic painting, but I was dead tired and the paintbrush had a life of it's own...going heavy handed after the first detailed pass and then just pouring on color (I don't know why I chose red and yellow...thinking back, it might have been my brain's attempt to grab some energy to try to wake up!)

(Watercolor, 12x16 Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb Paper)

Painting 121, "Golden-crowned Kinglet in Monochrome"...no detail...no color. I did this in minutes with two watercolor pencils and a water brush--no under sketch, using just a bit of negative space to define his belly with a cast shadow. I was at Matty's tennis clinic and was drawing in my sketchbook when this simple little Golden-crowned Kinglet popped to mind. I'm so glad I'm not afraid to paint and sketch in public anymore--thanks to the challenge!!

(Watercolor Pencil, 5x7 Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb Paper)

Painting 120, "Four Turquoise Hummingbirds" 
...a super fun test painting! Rick gave me a bunch of Daniel Smith Iridescent and Duochrome watercolor paints, and I wanted to see if they really were iridescent. Guess what...they are!! You can't see it in the scan, but the painting fairly glows in the light with every color reflective. I did heighten the reds in the flowers with a bit of regular watercolor, but the iridescent paint underneath still shines through.

(Iridescent Watercolor, 9x12 Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb Paper)

This painting is part of the 100 Painting Challenge. If you want to make art a regular part of your life...join up! This is my second year of the challenge. I'm working on 500 paintings in five years.

Golden-crowned Kinglets in the snow...

I saw this little Golden-crowned Kinglet along the Little Miami River on January 30. It was cold that day, and snow lay thick across the woods. Winter birds were scattered in pockets along the trail, and their calls traveled easily on the sharp, frigid winds slicing down the hillsides. I was nearing the end of my walk and could see the Kings Powder Factory up ahead when the soft peeps and seets of one of my favorite birds caught my ears. It only took a few seconds for this female to come into view.

Painting 119. Golden-crowned Kinglet in the Snow

Watercolor, 12x16 Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb Paper

I love this view...it's not telling because you can't see her little golden crown, but it's there. She and several other Golden-crowned Kinglets foraged up and down a bank of dead honeysuckle branches located just yards off the trail. She moved so fast, and by then my fingers were so cold I couldn't get clear photos, but that's okay...a fuzzy photo can make a lovely painting.

Painting 118. Golden-crowned Kinglet Looking Up

Watercolor, 8x15 Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb Paper

I really just wanted a wisp of a painting for this Golden-crowned Kinglet...no detail...no fuss...just sweetness and winter.

The pencil sketch and study for painting 119.

I drew it on Feb 4 while waiting for Matty in my car.

The pencil sketch and study for painting 118.

These were both quick studies and I completed them in about 10 minutes.

p.s. I wanted to thank everyone for all the wonderful birthday wishes! I've never had that many in my LIFE! I finished off the day painting these happy little birds...a perfect end to a perfect day!

White-breasted Nuthatch and Golden-crowned Kinglet...for the challenge.

Painting #76, White-breasted Nuthatch along the Little Miami River

9x12 Arches Rough 140 Lb Paper, Watercolor

I drew this white-breasted Nuthatch in the car as I waited for Matty at school. I finished up the drawing and added the watercolor at his tennis clinic. I used to read while I waited, but now that I'm not afraid to paint and draw in public, I'm using the time to meet the 100 painting challenge. (My booklist, however, has come to a screeching halt!)

Painting 75, Golden-crowned Kinglet along the Little Miami River

7x10 Arches Cold Pressed 140 Lb Paper, Watercolor

I also drew and painted this little female Golden-crowned Kinglet in the car as I waited for Matty at school, but I only gave myself 15 minutes to do it. I wanted to see if I could capture a fair representation quickly. It's okay, but not my favorite. I'd like to redo this one and spend more time on her. I wonder what she would look like in acrylic...

Spitting out quantity rather than quality is a little hard on the ego, but I'm getting used to it, and it's part of what I love about the challenge. Painting in volume frees you from making every painting a masterpiece. That's the way I used to paint...everything had a purpose, everything was real. The 100 Painting Challenge is practice, and it opens the mind (it really does...) and makes each painting fun.

Golden-crowned Kinglets along the Little Miami Trail...

"Seeee, see, see, see" was in the air this morning as I walked along the Little Miami Trail, and it stopped me in my tracks. I love watching Golden-crowned Kinglets, and there is no mistaking their sweet, little call. It's high pitched, but it also seems loud emanating from such a teeny, weeny bird. At 4" it's just a little bigger than our Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but it's a whole lot rounder!

A Golden-crowned Kinglet is a fluffy little ball of energy!

The trail was deep in shadow where the kinglets were foraging, and unfortunately I had the ISO too low. The shutter was a bit slow, so blur and fuzz resulted, which was a shame because this little fireball was no sissy. She came within four feet of me as I stood still with my camera aimed at her. Four feet!! Oh well...maybe next time. I ended up just watching her as she moved quickly through the brush by the trail nabbing spiders, constantly on the move.

...you can tell our little Golden-crowned Kinglet is a female because her crown is bright yellow. Males have a bit of orange added in to the topknot.

...look at the size of that spider! With all the nonstop movements this little bird makes, she will burn those calories up in no time at all. "Supersize" works just fine for her.

...it looks like she's spied the spider web and has a plan to pick up another juicy, plump bite to eat.

...this is what most of my shots looked like--"SuperBird," moving faster than the speed of light from twig to twig as she gleans spiders and their eggs hidden from sight.

I don't know how many kinglets were about on the trail, but at one point, I was able to keep track of five while I heard others calling from both up the hill and down the hill. It was such a beautiful sound hearing so many of them moving through the trees, but that wasn't all. While I was photographing them, I could hear the mixed-flock calls of Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice, the muffled knocking of Downy Woodpeckers, the soft, wintery "yank, yank" of a family of White-breasted Nuthatches, and the lovely sweet sound of a Brown Creeper...plus, in the distance, the strident scolding of a Carolina Wren, the harried cry of a Belted Kingfisher, the harsh sound of a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers, and the gentle sound of a few goldfinches. You can't ask for a better morning (well, maybe it could have been a little warmer...or maybe I could have worn an extra layer...but other than that, perfect).

A Brown Creeper spiraling up the tree while foraging with a mixed flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets, Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Downy Woodpeckers, and White-breasted Nuthatches.

...don't forget to check out bird photos from around the world at

A Golden-crowned Kinglet says goodbye…a Carolina Chickadee says hello!

On New Year’s Eve I slunk out of the house around 3:00 p.m. to go to the Little Miami River for a little birding. I should have stayed home to continue getting things ready for our party that evening, but I wanted to end the year the same way I began it—birding. So I grabbed my coat, my camera, and my journal and high-tailed it out of there! I was on the trail by 3:10 and found two Carolina Chickadees right away. They were calling back and forth as they flew from branch to branch in that cheerful way only chickadees can muster. Damp and gray, it was 42 degrees F, so not too cold, but the temperature was dropping quickly, and I was glad I had my hat and gloves. About a half mile down the trail, I stopped short and listened. The tiny, tiny call of a Golden-crowned Kinglet was floating through the branches, hanging there high and sweet, taking forever to drift down to me so I could find the source. Soon enough, though, the tiny imps popped into view—a male and a female with very bright crests. The male’s crest was a gorgeous orange from behind and the female’s a bright yellow. They were very busy gleaning insects and spiders from the twigs and branches over my head, and I really enjoyed listening to them and watching their wispy, fairy-like movements. So tiny and round, they looked like olive and gray cotton balls with eyes (and a mask).

The last bird of the day, a Golden-crowned Kinglet, helped me say goodbye to 2009.

As they started to move off towards another tree, I “pished” at them. This was something new for me. I had never pished before, and I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it did. They came back! If their little birdy body language was accurately describing their little birdy thoughts, they were giving me a “…you pishing at me?” look, and then they “tsee, tsee, tseeed” back. So I pished a little more, and they stuck around. I spent about 40 minutes with these two birds pishing, photographing, and studying them—a perfect way to end my birding year. I’m glad I snuck out on New Year’s Eve to do what I resolved to do last New Year’s Day—spend more time with the birds, work to conserve their habitat, learn more about them and pass on everything I learned. This past year of blogging about birds and nature has been outrageously fabulous. I’ve met so many birders and nature lovers…people who love the same things I love…and I’ve learned so much along the way. I can’t wait to see what 2010 brings…

The first bird of the morning, my beloved Carolina Chickadee, helped me say hello to 2010!

Thank you for following my blog and helping me learn more about birds! I have loved every minute of this past year (except for maybe the week or two I had The Swine Flu). I'm so excited to see what will happen in 2010!!

p.s. Do you like the new header? Rick helped me! I painted a watercolor of Red, found the perfect font, and drew out what I wanted on a scrap of paper (complete with a coffee ring). Then I handed it over to Rick, who went to town using Photoshop to create Red's new look.