Thursday Birding
This is the eastern Phoebe, and yes, the call is "Phoebe".
Perhaps the most familiar flycatcher in eastern North America, the Eastern Phoebe nests near people on buildings and bridges. It can be recognized by its emphatic "phee-bee" call and its habit of constantly wagging it tail.
Cool Facts
In 1804, the Eastern Phoebe became the first banded bird in North America. John James Audubon attached silvered thread to an Eastern Phoebe's leg to track its return in successive years.
The Eastern Phoebe is a loner, rarely coming in contact with other phoebes. Even members of a mated pair do not spend much time together. They may roost together a bit early in pair formation, but even during egg laying the female frequently chases the male away from her.
The use of buildings and bridges for nest sites has allowed the Eastern Phoebe to tolerate the landscape changes made by humans and even expand its range. However, it still uses natural nest sites when they are available.
from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Eastern_Phoebe_dtl.html - our friends at Cornell.
This is a tiny and endearing bird.
Picture thanks to http://www.rbhs208.org/phoebe_04a_anahuac_nwr_110401.jpg
NEXT -
Now one from Feral Liberal that I happened on and love;
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/feralliberal/
Labels: Birding
posted by Ruth at 11:34 AM
2 Comments:
Where that egret is would normally be grass. That was the remnants of the flood that took out my garden.
Our phoebes are always together. I think they might hunt alone late in the season before they migrate, but until then they are paired or with their kids.
We've even had other phoebes show up and help out with bug control. They
are one of my favorite birds and a joy to have around.
You can bring them to you if you can master their 'phoebe' call. They are always a bit taken back when they see me instead of one of their own.
Another eastern bird that looks like a phoebe is called the pewee. They are true loners only together for mating and brood raising.
Our pond looks like your photo of the egret, we let the wild grasses and bushes grow around it to encourage herons, ducks and other water birds as well as frogs, crawdads, and toads to enjoy our pond.
G in INdiana
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