Eastern Phoebe

Boardwalk Birding /  by Todd Henson

Morning call of a red-winged blackbird

One of the many joys of photography for me is pulling out the big lens and going birding. Granted, I often photograph more than birds on these trips, but birds are what I most expect to find and photograph. There’s just something about them I love. Perhaps it’s because they are the most accessible wildlife for most of us so they provide a plentiful range of subjects.

A red-winged blackbird calling from a bush

Red-winged blackbird and the field of green

A glimpse of a yellow warbler before it flew away

On this particular day I walked the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk with my father. This is a somewhat new boardwalk built across the wide wetlands expanse of Neabsco Creek in Woodbridge, Virginia. They did a great job designing it, weaving the boardwalk along different portions of the wetlands, giving views of beaver lodges, the creek, marshy areas, and sections of raised land and trees where you can sometimes see deer. The boardwalk goes up and down in elevation, as well, allowing different views. In the sections that are down low you can photograph treefrogs and insects on the various plants. In the slightly raised sections you can look out in the distance or down at the water below.

An eastern phoebe perched above the wetlands

An eastern phoebe viewed through the mimosa. Look closely to see an insect in its mouth, which it will bring back to its nest under the boardwalk.

Portrait of an eastern phoebe

I love the variety wetlands provide. Some days you might see many, many species, others less so, but there’s always something to see. In this post are photographs I created of red-winged blackbirds, yellow warblers, eastern phoebes and mourning doves. Not a huge number of species, but I’m very happy with those I saw and photographed. It was a beautiful morning, watching the sun rise over the trees, illuminating sections of the wetlands, sometimes giving that nice glow, other times less so when the sun went behind clouds. But regardless of where the sun was the light was great.

I hope you enjoy this small selection of birds found one morning on the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk.

Early morning mourning dove with a single trumpet vine flower in the lower left

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

Eastern Phoebe Catching Insects for its Young /  by Todd Henson

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. This is at no extra cost to you.

Eastern Phoebe looking to the left

This Eastern Phoebe was found in my favorite wetlands park, just off the boardwalk that extends over portions of the wetlands. It was common to see these birds in this section as they created a nest under the boardwalk each year.

Eastern Phoebe tilting its head towards the camera

This particular bird was catching insects to bring back to the nest. Eastern Phoebe are a species of flycatcher, and when watching them you can easily see why they fit that name, catching insects, often in the air. Amazing little birds.

Eastern Phoebe with an insect in its beak

Eastern Phoebe with another insect in its beak

According to Wildlife of Virginia and Maryland and Washington, D.C., by Charles Fergus, they eat a variety of insects, including small wasps, bees, beetles, flies, and moths. They sit on a perch and watch for flying insects, then dart out and catch them. And as with most all flycatchers, their “drab plumage makes the waiting birds hard to see, not just by its prey, but also by hawks that hunt for flycatchers and other small birds.”

Eastern Phoebe looking back over its shoulder

Many of the flycatcher species can be difficult to tell apart. Peterson’s Field Guide to Birds of North America lists the following as identifying characteristics of the Eastern Phoebe:

  • downward tail-bobbing

  • no eye ring

  • no strong wing bars

  • small, all-dark bill

  • dark head

  • its song.

Additionally, the Eastern Phoebe is known to nest in sheltered spots such as under a bridge, which was exactly the case with this phoebe (or perhaps it was actually a pair).

Eastern Phoebe preening

Spending a little time standing in the same location can sometimes pay off when observing and photographing nature. Doing so allowed me to notice this phoebe flying from beneath the bridge and onto a nearby perch. I noticed it kept returning to the same set of perches after darting off to catch an insect. And it always flew back under the bridge in the same spot. When I walked over that spot I could hear the young chicks in the nest.

So stop and stand (or sit) every so often on your hikes. Just rest a while and observe. Look around and listen. Maybe you’ll notice something interesting.

 
 

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!