This Eastern Phoebe, whose nest is wedged into the corner of my front porch ceiling, was perched so prettily in the early sunshine this morning.

These birds, with their coffee colored backs and their cream coated bellies, have such a gentle beauty about them.

They also sing a sweet song that always makes me smile, with the lyrics being their own name repeatedly called out – “Phoebe! Phoebe! Phoebe!“

But don’t let their sweet song or their gentle appearance fool you. These birds can be fierce! They are avid insect assassins!
They sit on a branch with their tail bobbing, carefully scanning the area for an unsuspecting snack.

Then, they dart off to catch bug…

…after bug…

…after bug!

What a wonderful little bird!

I loved watching this Phoebe in action this morning, but what made me even happier was that another insect assassin showed up – one that I have never had the pleasure of capturing in a picture before, hence the reason for the two-part post.

So stay tuned…and I’ll try and share this other fiercely fabulous bird soon!