OT Golden-Crowned Kinglet

I remember some time ago, the bird-watchers among us were discussing
this incredibly cute, teeny-tiny birdie variety. Here's one, from
cuteoverload.com. According to Meg, he "ate too moishe," and he does
look incredibly round. In fact, he looks like a leetle tennis ball
with wings!

Karen AKA Kajikit...

How cute... he reminds me of a chubby little Thornbill -
(Australia has lots of little twittery insectivorous birds like
that...)

Theresa

Make Levees, Not War

Adrian A...

A very pretty little bird, it's similar to the Goldcrest we have in europe.

Kreisleriana...

They look almost exactly the same-- the scientific name of the kinglet
is "regulus satrapa," while the Goldcrest is "regulus regulus."
We also have a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (regulus calendula) -- even
tinier:

Theresa

Make Levees, Not War

Christina Websell...

You beat me to it, Adrian! I was late for work one day last week because I
was watching a pair of goldcrests in my conifer trees; they love conifers.
For our tiniest birds, they make an incredibly loud sound.
They are not uncommon, but not particularly common either, if you know what
I mean! I felt quite justified in being ten minutes late so I could watch
them.
I might not see them again for months, dancing around like they were.

My attitude to life has completely changed since I could have easily lost it
last year. I used to think I had all the time in the world to do everything
I planned that I might like to do "in the future." Last year, for a week or
two, I had *no* future and I'd hardly done anything that I wanted to do over
my lifetime.

I've had a heart-to-heart with my team manager at work about how that
experience has changed my attitude towards my work. I will still give it
my best as far as I can, and fortunately she has no problem if I take a few
minutes to watch birds or do anything else that makes me happy even if it
makes me a bit late. I won't take advantage of this by being late every
morning and she knows it.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/g/goldcrest/index.asp

jmcquown...

How sweet! Yep, that bird swallowed a tennis ball! LOL I love watching

Adrian A...

The first time I saw a goldcrest I was 13 years old, I was walking past a
hedge. I still don't know what made me look but in the hedge less than 12"
away was a goldcrest, it was so pretty and I could see the individual
feathers. I'm sure I'll remember that for the rest of my life. The last one
I saw this year I waqs nearly 6 feet away. ;-)

the birds and so does Persia :) This time of year I see a similar bird
known as a Pine Warbler:

I guess they come to the southern U.S. in the winter because it's the only
time I see them. The Tufted Titmouse is also a winter visitor. Along with
taking care of my beloved cat and my lovebird, Peaches, I try to make sure I
have seed for the wild birds when it gets cold. But there are also a number
of things you can feed to wild birds. Got leftover practically moldy
cheese? Cheese contains the the fat birds need. Toss out that leftover
pasta, birds love it; they are not on a low-carb diet :) Ditto eggs, be
they raw or boiled. Yep, I said eggs. Those sweet little seed eaters will
go after a broken egg faster than you can blink an eye. Birds are more
carnivorous than you think. Got a pumpkin that was sitting on your stoop as
a fall decoration? Smash it and watch the birds (and squirrels) eat it.