Mariton: Phoebes Are Back!

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager.  Photo by Carole Mebus.

I heard the Eastern Phoebe singing along the wood line this morning.  There was another singing near the shop.  This is one of my signs that winter’s grasp has been broken.  (But don’t stow away your winter coat and mittens just yet.)  Phoebes are in the flycatcher family.  They perch on a branch and fly off to catch their insect prey.  Until flying insects are reliably available, these hunters can’t return north.  That is the reason they are a reliable indicator that spring is here.