The green grass is peppered with brown leaves already fallen. The lane is lined with trees whose leaves turn their colors to orange, red, and yellow. The breeze disturbs and tussles the leaves which fall waffling but diagonally as I traipse. The clocks have all been changed and, yet, Mother Nature does not take heed. Daylight shrinks and pays no attention to the contrivance of mortal man. Migrants sing their songs to hint of their arrival from somewhere north.

Fall migration is happening all around. Hummingbirds of which we are so fond have long been gone. It is regrettable but ritual to take those feeders in, clean them, and stow them away for next spring. Nyjer and thistle feeders take their place as goldfinches and siskins enter the arena. So are Yellow Rumped and Orange Crowned Warblers frittering in the trees and shrubs.

Finally, they've arrived in our neck of the woods, the kinglets. Kinglets are birds with high activity: they just do not stand still. Their constant movement makes it difficult to near impossible to get a decent photograph, and they tend to flick their wings often. You catch as catch can. Kinglets are active foragers. Arthropods, small insects and the eggs of spiders are gleaned from the branches and leaves of trees and shrubs. Kinglets forage from tree top to the ground. They will sometimes catch prey acting a bit like flycatchers.

Ruby Crowned Kinglets are more prevalent than Golden Crowns in our area. The red erectile top-knot is often not visible. A male Ruby Crown will generally not display unless it is in dispute with another male. It is a sign of aggression.

In migration, kinglets will flock with other species such as chickadees, titmouses, and wood warblers.

One final bit of trivia, these birds, which do not stand still, are also quite small. Interestingly, it would take three to five of them just to make an ounce. That is truly remarkable.

Regardless, kinglets are a sure sign of fall. I'll still grab my binoculars in an effort to find... and to see if the bird is a Ruby or a Golden while enjoying Mother Nature in November.