Phobes at the Balmorhea Duck Pond

On our way back to Austin after a week at the Prude Ranch, we stopped for a night at Balmorhea State Park, mostly so we could look for birds.  At the duck pond, we watched several species of birds catching insects over the pond surface. The first is the Says Phoebe. Four of these were lined up along the edge of the pond and darted out over the water together when they spotted something to catch.

We also saw a Black Phoebe.  In contrast, this bird perched on a bare branch in the middle of the pond and swooped out for its prey, always returning to exactly the same spot on the branch.