Bird of the Week (BOTW)-I love birding this time of the year. The reason is because on practically every outing…I’m likely to spot a particular bird that I have not yet seen this year. Bird migrationis, without a doubt, on the upswing and different species of birdsshow up on an almost daily basis; as they are heading northward toward breeding locations.
As a matter of fact, even as I walked into work this morning from the parking lot…I heard the clear and obvious song of a bird that I hadn’t yet seen this year. (I won’t mention the bird by name…because it could possibly be the next “Bird of the Week”.)
“Bird of the Week”? I’ve been considering for a few months now changing the name of my bird ramblings from “Bird of the Week” to “Bird of the Month”, because I know I haven’t been getting my BOTWs out “weekly”. (Someone even suggested to me last week that I rename them “Bird of the Quarter”. Yuk, Yuk…Don Gorney…Yuk, Yuk…you’re sooooooo funny…Yuk, Yuk…LOL.) But you know what? I’m gonna stick with “Bird of the Week”. I’m still birding…and while I’m out there, there is usually some bird that has stood out in my mind. (I just don’t write about it.) If the truth be told and time permitted, I could easily have a “Bird of the Day”.
It was actually my desire to have a warbler of some type for this week’s featured bird …but after birding out at Ft Harrison State Parkthe bird that stood out the most in my mind was not a warbler, but it is undeniably a wonderful bird in its own right. (Plus I didn’t see any warblers…LOL.) This week’s featured bird is the Golden-crowned Kinglet.
The reason this bird stands out in my mind is because I felt as if I had been literally caught in the middle of a swarm of these little kinglets. (They are indeed quite small birds. The only birds in our area that are smaller than kinglets are hummingbirds.) I honestly believe if I had been keeping an accurate running total for the day…I could have counted over 100 of these little birds. I was simply amazed at their numbers.
I’m sure that some of you who are receiving this email are unfamiliar with the Golden-crowned Kinglet. Few are aware that this is one of the most numerous of birds in all of the United States. (They are indeed in Indiana this time of the year, but only for a few more weeks.) If you see a small bird flitting around on a tree or bush…that seems to “never” sit still, and is in constant motion…take a closer look, it may very well be a Golden-crowned Kinglet. 
|  Birdman Gray began birding with his grandfather. Like most, he was mentored by a seasoned birder and is now passing on his knowledge of identifying birds by sight and sound. He is member of the Amos W. Butler Audubon Society, the ornithologist for Backyard Birds, and an expert guide of Indiana birding.
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