My New Phoebe (30)

During one of my bird class field trips we wandered the campus and the adjoining civic center park. We spied a Say's Phoebe sitting on a line of some sort just paces from a Black Phoebe. I identified the Black Phoebe in my yard in Hopland years ago, but I'd never knowingly seen a Say's Phoebe before. The luxury here was being able to watch her for a long time, both through my binoculars and our instructor's scope. She stayed put, sallying forth to eat her insects and returning to her spot on the line.

So I got to study her closely, get a real feel for her. She was less rounded than the black, but I don't know if that's true of her species in general. I remember the rosy cantaloupe blush on her belly and the longer shape of her. She seemed to have a sweet spirit, content in her solitary endeavor. I'd like to think her memory will stay with me, that I'll recognize her when I see her again. I believe she and the black were happy there, keeping each other company in their shared pursuit. I imagine the Black Phoebe glancing over at her after an especially tasty morsel. "Good spot, hmm?" he says.

"Perfect," my Say's says. "They're all over the place today." She's glad the black didn't balk at her joining him, though she'd been mindful to perch several feet away. She didn't tell him, though. It just wasn't done. But she hoped he knew, that he might be as glad as she for the quiet companionship in the autumn afternoon. They continue sallying in silence, their beaks clicking now and then as they snatch someone in flight, the sun sinking in the western sky, the shadows growing longer on the grass beneath their perch.

[Editor's note: The copyright of this photo of a Say's Phoebe is held by the photographer, Terry L. Sohl. Here is their website: http://sdakotabirds.com/species/says_phoebe_info.htm. And the completely unintended line, "my Say's says," was a happy accident that deserves a wink and a grin, eh? ;-) ]