Sayornis saya
Say’s Phoebes are medium-sized flycatchers with pale rufous bellies, gray-brown backs and heads with dark gray wings and tails.
I photographed this Say's Phoebe yesterday morning way up in northern Utah. There were actually two of the phoebes in the area but this one came in the closest.
Last week I was able to take Say's Phoebe photos at Farmington Bay WMA on two different perches. The first was a nest box, and the second, a tall stick.
Listening to an adult Say's Phoebe singing in low light on Antelope Island State Park two days ago was a true auditory delight for my ears.
I think Rufous-bellied Phoebe would be a great name instead of Say's Phoebe, with or without the hyphen. It is certainly more descriptive.
The calls of a Say's Phoebe are among the sounds I listen for in March and they are the first members of the tyrant flycatcher family I see each year in northern Utah.
Over time I have come to associate Say's Phoebes with sagebrush because I don't think I have ever seen or photographed one of these phoebes where there wasn't sage nearby here in northern Utah.
It is always a thrill for me to photograph Say's Phoebes so when I spotted a family group of them yesterday morning in northern Utah I was delighted.
All in all, as 2018 comes to a close I realize how fortunate I am to see all the birds that I do throughout the year as a bird photographer, to be able to do what I love and to love my feathered subjects too.
I photographed a nest building Say's Phoebe trying to separate a clump of grass and mud, or perhaps bison manure, by holding it in its bill and beating it on the ground.
Yesterday was a delight in the West Desert because there were plentiful birds to photograph including this male Spotted Towhee singing on its territory.
Western Kingbird After several days of not being able to photograph birds because of bad weather I was pleasantly surprised to have a medley of birds to photograph on Antelope Island Monday.