In Praise of the Normal Every Day Birds: Black Phoebe on the Tuolumne River

There are rarer birds, like the Red-breasted Sapsucker I saw a few days ago, or the really rare birds like the Rose-breasted Grosbeak that I found last June. But sometimes it is nice to simply enjoy the stalwarts, the birds that I see almost every time I hike the Tuolumne Parkway Trail.

I saw a few Black Phoebes (Sayornis nigricans) yesterday, but this one gave me pause because it didn't fly away when I pulled the camera out. I don't usually get this close to them. I was pleased with the result because the eyes can often get lost within the black feathers on the head and breast. Today the bird's eye caught the late afternoon sun.

The Black Phoebes are members of the tyrant flycatcher family, and they are fun to watch as they flutter from their perch to catch bugs. Unlike so many other flycatchers, they are not migratory, and instead are resident species all year round.