A Few Great Mornings

 Have you ever seen this bird?

    This is a Golden-Crowned Kinglet, a small, hyperactive songbird of the chilly conifer forests. They breed in Canada, and they migrate to most of the U.S. for the winter. At 3.5 inches in length, they are one of the smallest birds we get here in Michigan. The tiny Golden-crowned Kinglet is also much hardier than it looks, routinely wintering in areas where nighttime temperatures can fall below –40° Fahrenheit!

    A few days ago I was out shooting in Meridian Park in Mount Pleasant, and I was looking for the striking Golden-Crowned Kinglet. Walking down the trail beside the river, I listened for the sharp high-pitched call. Sometime later, I heard a few calling in a tree beside the path. I spotted the bright, flame-orange crown of one of the birds, and I approached them slowly. It was pretty dark deep in the woods, so I didn't get the greatest picture, but it was a cool experience to see the beautiful songbirds. 

    Early last morning, I was able to go back to Meridian Park, and I searched for the kinglets. It was not long before I heard a group of them flitting around in the nearby bushes, close to where I found them the previous encounter. I was able to quietly creep up to the birds, they were more interested in each other. There was plenty of light compared to yesterday, and the kinglets were much more cooperative, so I ended up getting a few keepers!

     photos of the Male Golden-Crowned Kinglet with the crown showing

    Also, there were a ton of White-Throated Sparrows at the Park, and I ended up getting a nice picture of one!

Hermit Thrushes are another bird that migrates through Michigan. They are often found in wooded areas and hop on the ground or skulk in dense patches of shrubbery. This means they are terribly hard to photograph... I heard a few of the thrushes calling, and I saw them running through the dense brush in the dark woods. One of the Hermit Thrushes popped up onto a visible branch, just enough time for a picture.