Informal Birding

I was sitting in the living room when a bird, perched on the nearby fence outside, grabbed my attention.

What is that bird?  I could not identify it.  So, I ran to get the bird book,  the binoculars, and the camera. Usually during similar drills, by the time I return, the bird is gone.  Not this time. 

I took a few photos first, just in case the bird flew off before actual identification.  Then, I got an up-close view through the binoculars as best as I could. I wanted to gather specific, identifying  details.  For some reason, my eyes and binoculars do not work really well together; better than my unaided eye, but not quite the clarity which I seek.

The bird flew from the fence, down onto the lawn, then back on the fence a bit further away. I quickly and quietly changed window views. Then, the bird flew off.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Minutes later,  I went out the back door and noticed this same bird sitting on a different fence.  Within seconds, it flew down to the blueberry bush.  While in flight, the bird grabbed a residual berry leftover from spring in its beak, flew back to the fence, and ate the shriveled blueberry before departing.  I did not have my camera.  If I did, I would not only have missed the shot while I adjusted the camera settings (this happens quite frequently), but I would have missed the moment while my concentration was on the camera. So, no physical photo of the berry grab, only the one captured in my mind.

Searching through the bird book, Birds of Virginia Field Guide (2002) by Stan Tekiela, I concluded, via picture and description provided, that my unknown bird must be an Eastern Phoebe. I think. The book also indicates that this bird summers in our area of Virginia. 

This is actually my second educated (?) guess for this particular bird, so I could be wrong.  If correct, the sighting of an Eastern Phoebe was the first for me. 

Studying additional field guides, I am totally confused.  Any bird experts out there?  Help!