Spending Time with the Western Kingbird

…though I was looking for an Eastern Kingbird.

On a recent visit to Antonelli Pond, I had a conversation with a fellow birder who had a tripod-mounted camera pointed at bushes. For me, most of the action is near the water at Antonelli. This friendly birder told me that he was looking for an Eastern Kingbird.

“An Eastern Kingbird? Are they around here?” I’d just returned from Provincetown where I’d seen some. I did not think their range extended to the West Coast.

“I last saw one here in 2009,” he said. He showed me and Katherine the photo he’d taken on the screen of his camera.

Yup. That looked like the bird I’d just seen in Provincetown.

Eastern Kingbird at Cape Cod National Seashore, Provincetown Massachusetts. (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with TAMRON 100-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD A035, handheld, 1/3200 sec., f/7.1, ISO 500)

Since I spoke to that birder, every time I find myself at Antonelli Pond, I look for an Eastern Kingbird. Yesterday was no exception.

I was looking in the general direction where the birder had his camera pointed. I saw a Black Phoebe land on a branch of a Coffeeberry where another bird was already perched. After a brief exchange of “words,” the Phoebe flew away.

Black Phoebe and Western Kingbird perched on Coffeeberry. (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 A022, handheld, 1/500 sec., f/6.3, ISO 400.)

My attention was now drawn to the yellow and gray bird. What was it? It looked vaguely familiar though it clearly wasn’t an Eastern Kingbird.

Western Kingbird perched in Coffeeberry. (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 A022, handheld, 1/4000 sec., f/7.1, ISO 2500.)

I watched the bird for sixteen minutes while it ate berries, spit out the seeds, preened and did not fly away as I crept slowly closer.

Western Kingbird eating coffeeberry. Also providing an anatomy lesson in the interior of a bird’s mouth. ((Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 A022, handheld, 1/4000 sec., f/6.3, ISO 2000.)
Western Kingbird about to spit out the coffeeberry seed. (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 A022, handheld, 1/4000 sec., f/7.1, ISO 2500.)
This image isn’t as sharp as I would like but…just in case you didn’t believe it was really spitting out the seeds! (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 A022, handheld, 1/4000 sec., f/6.3, ISO 2500.)
Western Kingbird preening. (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 A022, handheld, 1/4000 sec., f/7.1, ISO 1600.)

I would probably still be taking pictures of this bird if not for…the fearsome Wrentit!

Wrentit perched on Coffeeberry. (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 A022, handheld, 1/4000 sec., f/7.1, ISO 2000.)

When the Wrentit landed near, the Kingbird flew away. Wikipedia says that “the name ‘kingbird’ is derived from their take-charge behavior.” That behavior was not in evidence when the Wrentit arrived. Which was just as well since it was time to head home.

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