Resulting in a somewhat unconventional takeoff posture.
1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Yesterday morning while I was photographing other birds this Say’s Phoebe landed on top of sagebrush quite a distance from me. Say’s Phoebes typically hawk insects from low perches and that’s exactly what ‘he’ was doing. But this perch had potential obstacles, sagebrush stems, in most directions it might take off after a bug and and one or more of those obstacles would likely have to be dealt with during takeoff.
The insect he eventually spotted was almost directly in front of the bird so those two vertical stems in that direction presented a bit of a problem.
1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
But they were nothing the phoebe couldn’t handle. During takeoff he jumped straight up (probably assisted by the spring in the perch) before propelling himself forward with his wings which resulted in a somewhat unusual flight posture and a successful negotiation of the obstacles. I don’t know if he caught the bug but I hope so.
It’s no big deal but I like seeing stuff like this.
Ron
PS – Many readers doubtless already know about the movement afoot to rename birds named after people in an effort to make birding more inclusive. At this point you may already have a strong opinion about it one way another. Or you may still be on the fence. If the movement succeeds the Say’s Phoebe would likely be one of those species assigned a new common name.
If you’d like to be more informed on the subject I highly recommend reading the following impassioned article written by a Native American who’s been birding for nearly 50 years. As one who has strong feelings about birds, social justice and my own family history (which actually includes deadly encounters with Indians) I found it to be both interesting and enlightening.
Reflections of a Native birder: The one Indian killer bird name I really have trouble with
Getting up early paid off. The golden hue, boke; all the elements for a striking image. The second photo is reminiscent of your famous Magpie photograph.
the sagebrush appears to be trying to green up but struggling. Not to make light of it, but one fears that Utah and much of the west has entered the Droughtocene.
Of course, I am sympathetic to the renaming idea. However, it could be a very deep hole to go down, eg., Say’s Pheobe, Sayornis saya (and apparently the subspecies saya found in Utah). If common names are fair game, then why not scientific? And why only birds? Perhaps we should go back to the paragraph-long descriptions used before Linnaeus. What is a name other than shorthand for the unique characteristics of a bird (or plant or person)? If I had to describe a bird to someone, or vice versa, it might make better birders of us all. Just sayin’ (pun intended).
And pun appreciated, Lyle.
Utah is in a real mess regarding temperatures, fire and water. It’s literally depressing.
Thank you.
For the skilled flight engineer AND for the article.
I was already in the rename group and that article confirms my attitude.
I am pretty certain that similar investigations here would reveal similar horrors which should not be attached to birds.
EC, I’ll bet you’re right. It’s probably a universal problem, at least to some degree.
I’m strongly in the rename camp and appreciate your inclusion of that article, another nail in that coffin, I think. But I wonder about Say’s Phoebe (a beautiful bird in that golden light, by the way) — a totally “anthropomorphic” name whose change could really create some confusion for the average birder. Just call them another brand of flycatcher, I guess?
Chris, I don’t know any of the proposed names for Say’s Phoebes but whatever it turns out to be I’ll bet it’ll be an improvement.
Thank you for sharing both your lovely photographs and a very thought-provoking article. In addition to changing bird names, I’d also like to see the demise of Native American “mascots” for sports teams, schools, cars, etc.
Marty, one of my high school classmates is dealing with that very issue right now. His father, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, designed a logo that was apparently hijacked by the Washington Redskins as their official logo. My classmate is attempting to “get it back”.
Fantastic shots Ron! Thanksfor sharing.
Thanks, Charlotte.
“Changing these bird names would allow people of all backgrounds to have simple and uncomplicated conversations about the pleasure of watching birds.”
Sums up the discussion very well. Thank you Ron for a VERY educational post this morning.
Thanks, Kathleen. I’m glad you appreciated the article.
Nice photos Ron – I especially like the take off one. I never take photos of Say’s Phoebes when I am out because we have two who make their primary home our backyard. They do most of their launching from our back fence. Love them take off and swoop down for whatever prey they have seen.
After reading Mr. Hampton’s blog I am all for changing the Scott’s Oriole to Yucca or any other native object. I also have no problem with taking away the human names for all birds. When we first moved here to Prescott and I started to get interested in birds and photography one of my favorite birds was the Western Scrub Jay. Took lots of photos of them and then suddenly had to start referring to them as Woodehouse’s Scrub Jays. I have never looked up Mr. Woodehouse to see who he is, but I would sure like to go back to calling them Western Scrub Jays again.
Everett, Woodhouse’s scrub Jay is named for the American naturalist and explorer Samuel Washington Woodhouse.
Thank you for including the Hampton piece . By attaching
human names to animals, we perpetuate an anthropocentric attitude to
the natural world, and simultaneously a “comfortable ” ( for SOME) ignorance of the
historical associations which some of those names carry…..I think that
it’s high time that animals’ names refer only to the creatures themselves
and their physical and habitat-related attributes….
Agreed, Kris.
Thanks for the link. I was already in the rename camp, but that article was very informative. My family lived in Georgia in the relevant time frame, and we have a family tradition that one ancestor was a Creek (Muskogee). The rest, of course, were the settlers who took Indian land.
Mikah, my Dudley ancestors were among the Mormon pioneers who displaced Native Americans in what is now northern Utah in the 1850’s. That thought gives me pause.
Great photos as usual and that was a very interesting article! I’m all for calling Scott’s oriole the Yucca oriole. Not that I have any say in the matter but it is much nicer and descriptive.
Thanks, Joanne.
Beautiful little bird that obviously had adapted to it’s habitat. 🙂
When one looks at the “names” from the perspective of Stephen Carr Hampton they DO take on a different meaning. 🙁 Suspect that many, myself included, have never thought about the people behind the names. Thx for sharing the post!
Judy, I wish everyone would read that article before forming an entrenched opinion about the subject.
Nice action photo!
I read the link about the issue of naming birds after people, apparently almost always European people. The issue seems to slide inevitably into the problem of invasive species. Specifically the most destructive invasive species in history, European humans. I prefer calling animals by names that in some way describe them. A name after a historical person is pointless and empty.
I agree, Porcupine. Renaming birds and not renaming them both have issues but for me the scales are heavily tipped toward renaming them.
Great photos and a very interesting behaviour story to accompany them. But most of all I appreciate your link to the story by the Native American which puts a very human face on the renaming issue. When we all acknowledge that no human is or ever could be perfect and we all acknowledge that cultures, laws and even (secondary) “mores” change, why would any culture create a hero culture that is bound to be out of sync with demographic and cultural change over time and the “mores” of another age? (We know why of course but the answers are not pretty.) Dismantling this hero culture remnant will hopefully be the first step on the road to a more equitable future for all peoples everywhere.
Well said, Pat.
VERY apt description of invasive species…….