Eastern Phoebe, Maplewood State Park, Minnesota
Eastern Phoebes winter further north than most other flycatchers and they are one of the earliest returning birds after the cold season. Many of the pictures in my library were made in April, some even in the month of March, over the years. Having a pair of phoebes in front of the lens during their breeding time was finally a wonderful experience last month in Maplewood State Park, Minnesota.
I photographed for the first time from a stationary blind, a cabin-like structure above a pond in the woods. While watching the birds on this little lake below the hill was quite interesting, the distance was a bit to long for decent photos. Instead many song birds in the surrounding trees gave me plenty of opportunities for a good shot. The back side of the blind was open and all what I had to do was turning around for the show a pair of Eastern Phoebes gave me during one evening and the next morning. Light, color, and the gestures of these flycatchers made for two great shooting events and it was hard to select a picture for today’s blog post… (I wished I could say that all the time I publish a photo 😉)