Black Phoebe family update

Day 11--Observed an adult Black Phoebe feeding two fledglings in protected area. A third independent bird (now called a juvenile as it is independent) foraged along the river where I have seen it for past several days.

Day 12--Observed 5 Black Phoebes today. An adult was feeding two fledglings in the protected area. At one point the adult had been taking a break from the work of feeding these fledglings and when a fledgling approached it the adult flew away, followed by the fledgling. Maybe the adult will stop feeding the fledglings soon. And a juvenile plus one more Black Phoebe of unknown age were flycatching along the river.

Day 13--Independence at last! The last two Black Phoebes in juvenal plumage were sallying after insects today in the the protected area. There was no sign of any adult bird. This is two days longer than what is noted in Birds of North America (BNA) online. BNA notes that Black Phoebes attain independence from 7-11 days after fledging, but note the information is based on limited observations.

Day 14--I made this observation today. I didn't get out until late afternoon (up to today I made at least 2 visits/day) and found only 2 juveniles foraging along the river. SeEtta