Over many years I've seen many kinglets do this, but mostly Golden-crowned.
This recent time Bushtits were hopping around in the tall, weedy grass and
low shrubs. Not sure I've seen that before.
Bob OBrien Portland
On Mon, Jan 15, 2024 at 8:57 PM Scott Ramos <
nearpost at gmail.com> wrote:
>
This past Sunday, it was in the high teens at Magnuson Park and the cold
>
certainly did seem to modify some bird behavior. As Eric mentioned,
>
Ruby-crowned Kinglets--at least half the birds I saw--were foraging on the
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ground, some walking toward me to the point I could no longer focus my
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camera. They only seemed to notice my presence when I attempted to drop to
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a lower profile.
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RCKI - https://flic.kr/p/2psBtci
>
Along the Lake Washington shoreline, while overhanging branches were laden
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with icicles built from splashing waves, the ground up to about a meter
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above the water line was not frozen, unlike the rest of the open areas. As
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a result, there were several species that came to feed along the shore that
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are normally not seen there. Well, Song Sparrows were abundant as they
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always are, but there were also several Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned
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Sparrow, even a Bewick's Wren feeding around the pebbles.
>
The hard freeze over the weekend softened some of the rose hips and a
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couple of Spotted Towhee were taking advantage. Normally, no one bothers
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with rose hips, they are just too hard.
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SPTO - https://flic.kr/p/2psG7tt
>
There are often many Killdeer along the cobble beach adjacent the Sail
>
Pavilion in the north end of the park. On Sunday, there were none. Instead
>
several Killdeer were out in the middle of the grassy sportfields. Why?
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These fields were frozen solid.
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And, the huge flocks of Short-billed Gulls, sometimes numbering ~200
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birds, that normally cruise the sportsfields looking for worms, were
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absent. Why? Because these fields were frozen solid. A few dozen were on
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the swim platform but all the others were AWOL.
>
>
Scott Ramos
>
Seattle
>
>
On Sun, Jan 14, 2024 at 9:41 PM Eric Ellingson <esellingson at gmail.com>
>
wrote:
>
>>
Most Ruby-crowned Kinglets I've seen are usually quickly going about in
>>
bushes and trees, sometimes way high up, other times closer to eye level.
>>
However, even at eye level, they can be difficult birds to get a photo of.
>>
Also, the scarlet crown is not always seen on the males or if seen just as
>>
a red flash.
>>
>>
So it was fascinating to see two of these hopping along the ground on the
>>
trail at Point Whitehorn. They seemed oblivious to us standing in the
>>
middle of the path. They would come toward us passing by our feet and
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continuing along the path.
>>
>>
The scarlet on the head was very visible but not raised as when agitated.
>>
This and the behavior of feeding and hopping along on the ground are not
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the norm. My guess about this ground-level feeding is that with the high
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winds and freezing weather (into single digits) their food of insects was
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blown to the ground out of the shrubs and trees they would have been in.
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Who, knows? Also, maybe a way to conserve energy?
>>
>>
Camera in hand, as usual, I could not pass up the opportunity. I took
>>
many shots and videos of them hopping and foraging. Often they would come
>>
toward me getting too close for my camera to focus on them. If I had a
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small insect in my hand I'm guessing they would have hopped into my had to
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eat it.
>>
>>
The 29-second video is comprised of some close-ups showing the scarlet
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crown and foraging successes. Watch it here: https://flic.kr/p/2pswNca
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Enjoy.
>>
>>
What unusual behaviors have you seen during this very cold and windy past
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few days?
>>
>>
>>
Eric Ellingson
>>
>>
360-820-6396
>>
esellingson at gmail.com
>>
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ericellingson/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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