A few years back, a pair of Eastern Phoebes decided to make themselves at home in the overhang of our porch. We look forward to their return every year. Phoebes are one of the first birds to return from the north and begin nesting. This was the case again this year. They are wonderful birds but they tend to make a mess, especially on our gutters. Phoebes are flycatchers (as you can see in the example below) and they kill their catch by bashing them against objects, in this case, our gutters. I saw a Phoebe flying around with something in its mouth so I grabbed my camera and headed outside to photograph it before it made a mess. As you can see, his catch is still intact. The current status is that they have repaired their nest, laid their eggs and are currently taking turns incubating them. I will provide more photos when the young ones hatch.
This image was taken with my Canon EOS 7D Mark II using my Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 II Lens set on 400 mm. The camera was set on Aperture priority mode with the aperture set at f/5.6, shutter speed at 1/500th of a second and the ISO set at 125. This is a single image processed in Lightroom.
You can view my Birds of Texas collection by clicking here. Please use the section below to post your comments, questions, or suggestions.
© 2016 T. Kahler Photography
Thanks for the exposition! We have a yearly pair as well. First brood took wing late last week. After a couple days of inactivity they appear to have settle back in for a second brood.
Thanks for identifying and doing the research. Up until this post they were “generic mud nest building bird” for me. :)