Birds and Nature

Both juvenile probable hybrid phoebes are still foraging right near the nest site along the Arkansas River east of Canon City,CO. I see one sallying from overhanging branches very near the nest site and often the other from overhanging branches about 25 feet upriver. These two siblings seem to be staying together a lot as I also saw them together this evening foraging upstream several hundred yards from their usual location (the location where the big insect hatch occurred 2 days ago). They are now 22 days post fledging and this is the longest I have ever been able to follow any fledged phoebes. SeEtta

I found this probable Black/Eastern Phoebe hybrid today at my friend's in the Canon City,CO area. It has bright brown, almost rust colored, forehead feathers. The dark body feathers are from dark brown to charcoal and it has a breast dark on the top and white beneath, separated by an inverted 'v' found in Black Phoebes (as it's feathers were ruffled in the pics, I cannot tell how close to a 'v' this is). Again not possible to tell for sure but it looks like it is undergoing a molt of some side and back feathers. It called only once, a 'tseep' that sounded like a Black Phoebe. It interacted briefly with another phoebe (probably a Black Phoebe but I didn't see it good enough to rule out another hybrid) in an neutral manner. SeEtta