Picture of the day - March 28, 2008

A Ruby Crowned Kinglet "sitting still"

Photo courtesy of Winston Rockwell. Frequent contributor Winston Rockwell captured today's beautiful image of a tiny Ruby Crowned Kinglet, a rather intriguing bird which I was previously unfamiliar with. The following is his very interesting story behind the photograph: "Ruby-crowned kinglets are very small - you could easily fit a pair of them in a coffee cup - and are much more often heard than seen. They favor willows and other brushy trees, where they often play tag among the branches, chasing each other playfully, bouncing around like little pinballs on steroids, chirping and peeping all the while. Extremely hyper-active, they almost never sit still for more than a second or two, flitting from branch to twig in a seemingly endless display of perpetual motion. Because of their small size, the habitat they prefer, and their extreme level of activity, they're very difficult to photograph; most attempts result in a blurred photo of a pair of wings or feet disappearing out of the frame, or simply an image of a vacant branch where the bird used to be. On a recent Saturday, taking advantage of a break in the clouds, I visited a local park where I often go to photograph birds. I wandered around, camera in hand, scanning the branches and brambles for opportunities. I seldom come home from that park without something worth keeping, and this day was no exception! I spotted this female kinglet flitting from one branch to another, and watched her for several minutes. After several aborted attempts to get a shot, she lit on a limb and stayed there for a good 3 or 4 seconds - an eternity for one of these little speedsters - and I snapped off several frames, catching her in a couple of poses. When I got home and looked at the photos, I was amazed - and very pleased - to find that I'd actually managed to capture this little bird in a near perfect profile! I've gotten many wonderful photos at this park, and was very pleased to add this one to my collection."   --Winston Rockwell This photo was taken with a Canon 40D fitted with a Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L zoom lens. The image was shot at 400mm, 1/400 second at f/8.0. You'll find a lot more of Mr. Rockwell's wonderful photographs on his website.     Visitor Comments... Name: Phyllis Helton Town: Bristol, VA Amazing and lovely. I really like the analogy "little pinballs on steroids".   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!                                 Place the "Picture of the Day" on your website, for free! Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"