The plum tree (the nearly dead one) is the favorite perch for one of the
hummingbirds. Today it was joined by another bird that liked to perch.
It was gray with a light colored front and some markings on its wings.
I went through book after book trying to identify it. No luck. Finally,
I picked up my smallest book, which was divided by colors, and there,
under the gray section, was the Eastern Phoebe.
I read the characteristics to my partner: "A sparrow sized bird often
seen on the end of a dead branch. (check!) It sits in wait for a passing
insect, flies out to catch it, then returns to the same branch. (check! We
watched the bird do this three times--of course, we couldn't see the bug,
so wondered what the bird was doing.) This process is called hawking.
Has a habit of pumping its tail up and down and spreading its when perched,
(check!)
I can officially add this bird to my list of birds.
The hummingbirds are NOT rufous, but ruby throated hummers, the ones most
common in this area.
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