The black phoebe: A lifer for me.

Black phoebe photographed in Palm Springs, October, 2023

Some birds, such as the rock wren I photographed earlier this week, can be found in both western Canada and the United States.  Other birds like the black phoebe are only found south of the Canadian border; I would never hope to see one unless I was travelling outside the country.  Having said that, the rock wren is native to southern BC, but I have never seen one.  It just so happens I was at a place where both birds co-existed, and I got to see them.

Although I do enjoy birding wherever I go, there is a certain thrill associated with seeing something I haven't personally witnessed before.  Bird watchers call these first-time observations "lifers".  I don't personally go by this and do not keep a record of what I see where and when, but my photographs record much of that information.  For me, a "lifer" is an endearing moment when I get to witness a marvel of creation for the first time, and it doesn't apply just to birds.  I get the same thrill for reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and just about every other thing that moves above, on, or under the Earth's surface.  

The other thing I like to do is to write blogs on the object of my wonder.  In this case, it's the black phoebe, and I clearly remember the moment my camera focused on the dark form before me.  Phoebes are flycatchers.  I saw a different species just two days prior to this; it was a Say's phoebe, and it too falls into the category of a lifer as well.

Black phoebes like to perch in an open area, just as this one is doing, and scan for passing insects.  I saw this one leave its mount for a moment and strike the nearby air for a winged snack and then return to continue its vigil.  The males will escort a female to potential nesting sites.  When she finds a suitable one, they will build a small cup-like structure out of mud and lay eggs in it.  She may lay up to six eggs and the pair may raise up to three families in a single year.  Given their far southern range, the weather will likely allow for this.

 I used the All About Birds website (click here) for some of the material presented above.  This one and many others are an excellent source of information for my blogs and personal perusal.  If you haven't been to such a site, consider taking a couple of minutes to have a look.  I think you will be amazed.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com