Two other birds that showed up during my mid-day meal this past week, and are therefore honorary members of the “Lunch Bunch”, are the Eastern Phoebe and the Eastern Towhee.

I paired these birds to appear in a post together partly because both of them have feathers the rich colors of fall, and partly because they both sound like they are saying their name when they make their call.

Let’s start with the Phoebe, which is easy to recognize because of the way it bobs its tail and then darts down to grab unsuspecting insects.

I usually hear these birds before I see them, recognizing their quiet call that really does sound like they are saying their name, with the accent on the first syllable…FEE-bee, FEE-bee, FEE-bee.

They are such beauties with their big brown eyes and their buttery bellies.

Eastern Towhees don’t come to the backyard all that often. When they do, it is usually for a drink from the fountain. This lovely female was hiding out in our Red Maple, but popped out to the fountain’s edge long enough for me to get a few photos.

Aren’t her colors the epitome of autumn?

Like the Phoebe, she is a name-sayer, but she places the accent on the second half of her name and draws it out…Tow-HEEEEE, Tow-HEEEEE, Tow-HEEEEE.

I know these birds aren’t as flashy as some, but I find their subtle beauty incredibly lovely to behold.
They are always welcome to join me for lunch!