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handmade ghost

One of the beautiful birds that most guides categorize as "mostly nondescript": the lovely, thoughtful little flycatcher known as the Western wood-peewee.

Photo of a woodland scene--a soft focus of blue sky in differently-sized windows, each framed by a dozen arabesques of cursive pine boughs and branches and the whole vignetted by pine needle brooms. In the foreground of the scene, one thick, partially stripped branch reaches down from the top left of the picture, ending in curling, scruffily-barked branchlets that fall, mustardy-olive and russet brown, like the strange, lovely ropes of Medusa's hair. Sitting on one such ropelike branch, body facing left but looking back over eir shoulder, is a very small, grey, soft-looking bird with slightly darker wings and pale coverts. The bird--a Western wood-peewee--looks like a little felt toy; eir face is just a little fuzzy charcoal gumdrop with a lick of feather at the base of the neck and eir tiny black seed of a bill like the needle of a record player. The light is promised everywhere in the picture, but it is most noticeable where it drops down the length of the stripped branch, warming the little wood peewee's perch and casting em in a slightly winsome spotlight.
26 June at 13:38 | Open on sunny.garden
13 comments
Wurzelmann

@handmade_ghost oh, they're lovely. :face_holding_back_tears:

26 June at 13:41 | Open on mastodon.wurzelmann.at
handmade ghost

@wurzelmann Aren't they so pretty? They always look to me like an artist made them with those soft charcoal chalks. They have such charming little details. 🥹🥰

26 June at 13:43 | Open on sunny.garden
Wurzelmann

@handmade_ghost indeed! They look like they've jumped right out of a charcoal drawing.

26 June at 13:49 | Open on mastodon.wurzelmann.at
Green_Heron_Fan

@handmade_ghost
Do they also sing Peeeeaweeeee?
I love the eastern version of this bird. Looks quite similar.

26 June at 13:48 | Open on birds.town
handmade ghost

@BeazLouise Aren't they lovely birds! I've only seen Eastern ones in photos but ❤️. This one sings a buzzy little "brrreeeer" (like they've had more than a few "quick three beers" like their olive-sided flycatcher tree neighbors lol).

26 June at 13:52 | Open on sunny.garden
Dan McCullough

@handmade_ghost I always say when you see something described in guides as “mostly nondescript”, get closer and marvel at the beauty most folks don’t get to see. Very nice. Love the funny little expressive eyes on these birds.

26 June at 13:49 | Open on mastodon.social
handmade ghost

@danmccullough Yes! The "nondescript" is really just a hint to study closely. And I love the eyes on these little friends, too--they are like sweet, animated birds from a children's film.

26 June at 13:54 | Open on sunny.garden
Ken Larson

@handmade_ghost

Your background photography does a lot to overcome the "nondescript 👍 " in this photo

26 June at 14:04 | Open on mastodon.social
Schluffiger Schluff

@handmade_ghost Thanks to your image description they're now at-least-once-descript.

26 June at 16:36 | Open on norden.social
Anja-in-Wonderland
reedsandstrings

@handmade_ghost Oh! I've recently fallen in love with the Eastern Wood-Peewee. I was so delighted to learn that this sweet little bird is named after its song.

26 June at 18:33 | Open on wandering.shop
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