We regularly see the occasional Eastern Kingbird on our stretch of the Indian River over the summer months, but today (7th August) we were treated to a longer than usual visit of a family, made up of two adults and two offspring. They stayed around for a good part of the day. Peter managed to capture this photo of a feeding event. Most of the time the two young just perched together, occasionally preening, while the adults swooped about catching insects. At one stage we saw a American Crow fly low over the tree they favoured, which clearly was too close for comfort because the two adults went into attack mode and smartly chased it off upriver! Later in the day one of the adults also had a go at a couple of Northern Flickers after they alighted on a nearby tree, but they weren’t at all bothered and just stayed their ground.

Stephenie Armstrong

Eastern Kingbird family - August 7, 2016 - Peter Armstrong

Eastern Kingbird family – August 7, 2016 – Peter Armstrong

Eastern Kingbird - June 18-19, 2016 - Lower Buckhorn Lake - Robin Blake

Eastern Kingbird – June 18-19, 2016 – Lower Buckhorn Lake – Robin Blake


Drew Monkman

I am a retired teacher, naturalist and writer with a love for all aspects of the natural world, especially as they relate to seasonal change.