Mr. and Mrs. Black Phoebe eat flies and have babies

An outdoor speaker under the pool shed eaves in our backyard has proven to be suitable housing for a family of Black Phoebes.

I put a small videocamera on a stick and gently shoved it in the eaves to see if I could see what was happening in the nest, a la Turtle Bay eagle cam. Last week there were a few eggs, and yesterday there were a couple of pink blurs with yellow beaks. It’s too close for my cheapo videocamera to really make much out, but in any event, there’s obviously a family here.

The Black Phoebes are a species in the family “Tyrant Flycatcher.” That’s something they do well.

Every so often, they fly off in a loop, to catch flying bugs I can’t even see. I tried to get an action shot, but good luck on that. They’re fast! These still shots will have to do.

Apparently, they like streams and ponds, but evidently they think our swimming pool is just fine too. Thanks to Karry for identifying the species for me.