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Say's Phoebe

(Sayornis saya) I came out of a mine shaft near Ibex Springs in Death Valley National Park to find this bird perched on a creosote bush maybe 6 feet in front of me. I opened my pack and put on a long lens and took a few shots, marveling at how close the bird was. When I stepped out of the mine shaft to get a little closer, this bird and it's mate started flying at me, snapping their wings with a whip-cracking type sound. It was then that I figured out that they must have a nest in the mine shaft. I spent a couple minutes trying (unsuccesfully) to get a bird in flight shot while they were dive bombing me, then let them have their peace.

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Uploaded on April 18, 2017
Taken on April 9, 2017