I love trying to capture images of fierce raptors and other large birds, but there is something equally gratifying about getting a glimpse of gentle little birds, like this Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) that I spotted recently at Huntley Meadows Park. Most of the time birds like this are invisible to me, hidden among the leaves high in the trees. On the day I took this shot, however, the phoebe was perched in a sheltered area, perhaps because of the intermittent rain, and I was able to capture this simple little portrait.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Delightful portrait, Mike — you captured the phoebe essence well.
Thanks, Jet. It’s a fun challenge to try to capture a bit of the personality of an individual bird, what you characterized so well as its “essence.”
A pair of phoebes nests at our place in Minnesota, and we delight in seeing them return each year. It wouldn’t be the same without them.
Your Minnesota place, Gary, sounds like heaven to me, surrounded by nature and all kinds of wonderful creatures.