Eastern Phoebe

A bird blip, for a refreshing change. Our old friends Marge and Steve are visiting, and we all took an outing to Sugarloaf Mountain just north of us. A pair of these eastern phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) was all around at the summit, which we drove to--they are by far the commonest flycatcher in most if not all of the eastern U.S. We also had brief looks at a high peregrine falcon (a pair normally nest on the cliff side.)

Finally, on the way home, we had an adult bald eagle! It was very high overhead, but its white head and tail were wonderfully bright in the low sun. We first caught sight of it amidst the branches of the Sunderland Sycamore (aka Buttonball Tree)--the largest sycamore tree in Massachusetts, which is probably at least 350 years old. Sycamores are of course related to the plane trees in France which I blipped more than once last month.