The Black Phoebe is my favorite.... well, next to the hummer, it is:) The BP has the sweetest little chirp and friendly ways. My Cooper’s didn’t seem to mind me and my opera glasses at all. I got a good look at the speckled golden breast feathers fluffing up.
So jealous, LOL! We have the Eastern Phoebe here and they are friendly too, but I’ve only seen pics of the BP and have always wanted to see one. I LOVE the hummingbirds too but I’m not getting as much as I was earlier in the year. I still feed them though but now that most of the flowers I have in my yard to attract them are gone, they’ve gone elsewhere.
That is so funny you said that. The black phoebe is my totem bird. Let me explain:
I'm a professional bird surveyor, and every spring I team up with a bunch of young wildlife biologists to perform breeding bird surveys in an Interior West state. Even though they're in their mid-twenties -- and I'm old enough to be their father -- I still seem to have more energy than they do. In fact, I often come up with little intellectual games as the season is beginning. One such game involves "totem birds."
My definition of a totem bird is one that is a resident of somewhere that you absolutely love. It's the bird that is always there in all your favorite places.
For me, it's the black phoebe. It's now become a recurring joke with my fellow bird surveyors. When we're at a beautiful southwestern oasis, and we see a black phoebe, I always say, "Well, that means I can live here."
The crew this year produced some interesting totem birds. One female claimed hers was the American kestrel. Another, the Bewick's wren. Another, the American dipper. Another (from Iowa), the bobolink. And another, the pine siskin.
But sorry, La Enchiladita, I've already claimed the black phoebe as my totem bird!
Lol!
What about you guys?