Welcome back, migrants

 I saw some tiny birds with gray-green coats in the woods behind the house. They are Ruby-crowned kinglets, Corthylio calendula.

I noticed them when we moved to Georgia last fall. They seemed to be part of the landscape during the winter. In the spring, they left us, heading for the conifer forests of Canada to breed.

Last winter, they would occasionally come to our feeders. They eat berries and seeds in winter. But they feed mostly on small insects and spiders. The leaf litter in the woods is full of bugs. So the Ruby-crowned kinglets seem shy, staying mostly in the woods.

Most of the birds I see are less than 4 inches long, I’d guess. The ruby crown feathers are rarely useful as a field mark. Only males have them, and the crown feathers display only when the bird is excited. You see a flash of red only when the bird sees a prospective mate, rival or predator. You can see a lot of kinglets without seeing the crown feathers.

I look for a white ring around the eyes and a white bar on the wing.

I was glad to see them back — and a little surprised at myself. The sense of joy was surprisingly strong.