Nature Note #101: A Phoebe in February

As I left the house at a little after three today to go look for a Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) that had been reported at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, I had mixed feelings over whether I would find it or not. Instead I came across a complete surprise. A sign of spring for some perhaps, but when seen in the middle of February, an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) is not the first thing that springs to mind.


It is an especially strange sight to see after a snowstorm as well, but nonetheless, the photos do not lie. As I travel to Newton and Assabet River NWR tomorrow in search of more year list birds, I will think about this phoebe and how early it is. Could it possibly mean an early spring for us? Only time will tell.

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