Now is the best time to see kinglets in Ohio

   Usually arriving right when the large wave of fall warbler migrants pass through each fall, the kinglets are special little birds. Living in Ohio only during the winter, they are a whole different reason for me to be singing (or at least thinking) a new version of the old Guy Clark classic, 'Homegrown Tomatoes':

'Ain't nothing in the world that I like better

than birding in September, October and November!'

   There are two species of kinglets. The Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, and the Golden-Crowned Kinglet. Both are pictured below, via Wikimedia Commons.

Golden-Crowned Kinglet*

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet*

   Both kinglet species are nearly identical, except for (as you may have guessed by their common names) their crowns. The Ruby-Crowned Kinglet has a vivid red crest that usually isn't visable. If you want a good photo of a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet showing its crest, check out the photo on Cornell Lab's All About Birds. The Golden-Crowned Kinglet, on the other hand, has a black cap with a bright yellow crown right in the midst of it. Some also have a orange-colored crown.

   Now that you know that (in case you hadn't before), back to the main point of my article. The kinglets have arrived in Ohio! Now is prime time to head out to the woods and find some kinglets. The Golden-Crowned Kinglet is much more common in Ohio (at least in my neck of the woods), however, I have seen both species in Ohio on numerous occassions. Already this year I have seen both species, and the Golden-Crowned Kinglets seem to be particularly common in my area this year. Just look to the barren, leafless treetops for a small, compact little bird flitting about near the trunk of the tree. For reference, kinglets are about the size of a chickadee.

   Good luck!

* Golden and Ruby-Crowned Kinglet photos via Wikimedia Commons