I Hear a Phoebe in the Meadow

There is a city park about ten minutes from my home where I go each morning with my husband to run our dogs. Bordered on one side by a river and on another by a marshy area, the birdlife is busy and varied, drawing a variety of songbirds, waterfowl and raptors. I heard this handsome little fellow before spotting him sitting atop a small snag in the tall, dry grasses of late summer. His distinctive tail pumping caught my eye, as he called out with his shrill, scratchy chirp.