Black Phoebe
May 2013, Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, OR
I didn’t realize how common these birds are in Ankeny Wildlife Refuge, which is just south of Salem, OR. If you look at most guidebooks, they’ll tell you the range of the Black Phoebe extends just barely along the coast of southern Oregon. Apparently, those need to be updated.
Black Phoebe
May 2011 – Shore Acres State Park, OR
While this is a fairly common bird in some parts of the US, I hadn’t seen one prior to this occasion in Shore Acres state park, on the southern Oregon coast. Often when I spot a new bird, I’ll get pretty excited – like I just made a new discovered. Later, when I look them up, it’s more of a ho-hum experience. Still, it’s fun to see new things.
A few of these birds were flying around some bushes, catching flies in the air and such. I was having a hard time focusing on them (and just missed an amazing mid-air fly-grabbing shot!), so this one was the best I could do – not exactly a natural setting on some brick tiles, but that’s ok.