Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Good kings are supposed to be wise, dignified, and austere. Ruby-crowned Kinglets are none of these things, which must be why they’re kinglets. They’re energetic little birds that bounce around in the forest and never stop talking. Their song is a little less than beautiful, but what they lack in musical talent they make up for in loudness and enthusiasm. Male Ruby-crowned Kinglets do indeed have a red crown, which is usually kept hidden. Male kinglets use them as a complement to their song to impress their dates and chase off competitors—why the female kinglets find this attractive, I’m not sure, but apparently they do.

In Vancouver, there is a suite of small brownish birds that can be challenging to identify. Two of the hardest are Ruby-crowned Kinglet versus Hutton’s Vireo—two distantly related birds that decided to copycat each other’s plumages. You know you’re looking at a Hutton’s Vireo when it looks exactly the same as a Ruby-crown, but has a stockier bill and looks like a tourist in Disneyland the way it rubbernecks all the time. Ruby-crowns, in contrast, are like fangirls at a concert, flicking their wings and chatting incessantly. Other helpful clues include the colour of the feet and the dark bar across the base of the secondary feathers (because I’m always looking at the base of the secondaries when observing birds…).

I saw this bird on October 31 at the UBC Botanical Gardens. She never held still for more than a second so most of my photos of her look something like this:

Dark-eyed Junco

The Dark-eyed Junco (also known by her pseudonyms, the Snowbird and simply the Sparrow) is a ubiquitous bird in North America, and often spends the winter in areas with relatively harsh climates. They’re a pain in the rump for those who like to categorize species into simple, discrete units: Dark-eyed Juncos have a staggering 15 subspecies, many of which used to be considered separate species entirely. In Vancouver we have the Oregon Group, which, in itself, apparently houses eight subspecies (none of which I would be able to tell apart). Juncos build their nests in cleverly concealed locations on the ground, which always seemed like a dumb strategy to me. Though, I suppose having a nest in a tree might not be that big of an advantage when your main predators are squirrels and other birds.

The entrance to a Junco nest in northern Saskatchewan

In Vancouver, as we begin our dreary descent into the rain-drenched months of winter, the birds are also preparing for the cold season. As they preen, they coat their feathers with oil from a special gland that keeps them waterproof. They can fluff up their plumage to make it more insulating, and might be putting on fat to keep their energy stores high. Many birds will get together with all their friends to roost at night and keep each other warm. Snowbirds, or Rainbirds, as the case may be, around here have it easy compared to those who live in climates with “real” winters.

I saw this pair in the Point Grey neighbourhood on September 22 (way back before midterm season hit).

Steller's Jay

I’ve always associated Steller’s Jays with British Columbia, and especially with BC Parks, where they take full advantage of food left unattended at camp sites. The Steller’s Jay is even the provincial bird of BC. However, their range extends down the coast to California and down the Rockies all the way to Mexico!

Vancouver has been crawling with Steller’s Jays lately, screaming to their heart’s content and feasting on acorns. Like other Corvids (jays and crows), they have a varied suite of vocalizations and enjoy chatting with one other. Steller’s Jays mate for life, and, like perfect lovebirds, seem to spend all winter together too. Mated pairs have complex social interactions that are midway between territorial defense and colonial living.

Birders call brightly-coloured birds “candybirds”, a term that usually refers to groups like warblers and tanagers. But I think this species qualifies as a candybird if anything does. I saw this one in our back yard on October 1st, where she has been burying acorns in our lawn.