Four Feathers Studio

What I thought might be an Eastern Phoebe, swooping down from their perch and fly-catching along the field and forest edges, turned out to be an Eastern Kingbird, my first and only encounter with this species in Wonderland. Phoebes are among the earlier arrivals in spring, singing their name and always making me giggle while I’m cleaning up the gardens from the seasons past. They have nested in the barn for several years, and are a constant presence in Wonderland during the summertime months. I love watching them with their bobbing tails and acrobatic dives to grab insects and then an equally graceful swooping arc back up to their perch ready for more. So when I spotted August’s bird flying and swooping from 100 yards away, I thought “Phoebe, bug-catching.” But as I walked closer and looked through the lens, I realized this was not a Phoebe. I had no idea who it was, but quickly pressed the shutter release before they flew away. It was acting like a flycatcher, but definitely not one that I had seen before. There are Least Flycatchers here in Wonderland during the summer months and possibly other flycatcher species that I have photographed. (Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly what the other species are because they are so similar you need a sound ID to really be sure—much to my disappointment! I now carry my phone on walks with the Merlin Bird ID app, open and recording so I may someday solve this flycatcher mystery. The Merlin app identifies bird calls and songs in real time which still amazes me every time I use it.)

 

So, with a little sleuthing in my guidebooks, I was able to ID August’s bird as the regal Eastern Kingbird. What a name! In this photograph they certainly live up to it—striking a pose that has a bit of pomp and royal air. They are definitely bigger in size than a phoebe, which was more evident as I moved closer to them and looked through the lens of my camera. I love how they peer down from their leafy coverage in the photograph, as if surveying not only their fellow avian subjects, but their human one as well. Known to defend their territory aggressively, they will attack large nest predators such as Blue Jays and crows. The Cornell Lab website adds: “It’s not called a kingbird for nothing. The Eastern Kingbird has a crown of yellow, orange, or red feathers on its head, but the crown is usually concealed. When it encounters a potential predator the kingbird may simultaneously raise its bright crown patch, stretch its beak wide open to reveal a red gape, and dive-bomb the intruder.” All hail the king!