Eastern Kingbird

            For all their elegance, nesting Eastern Kingbirds seem possessed by a wildness beyond their control. No matter how large or dangerous the intruder, kingbirds defend their territory. Through the heat of summer these flycatchers are on the alert for anything that moves. Whether it's passing prey, an enemy, or a rival, kingbirds are ready to flash out from their open perch to the edge of their airspace on stiff, stuttering wings, calling wildly. 

When late summer comes, a personality change seems to come over Eastern Kingbirds. Their hostility seems to fade away, and kingbirds begin to gather in groups to work their way south. Their migration takes them all the way to South America.

To me, the Eastern Kingbird is the bird. Whether I see them holding down a featureless patch of the infinite marsh or touching down in the treetops of my urban backyard, they give me a sense of an uncompromising, untamed world that seems genetically incapable of giving way to civilization.