Flycatcher help... (1 Viewer)

nikovich

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2006

• #1

Now judging by this guys tiny size , I would have immediately guessed it was a least , but should the bill really be that long ? He was immensely fast too and was catching insects in the Elderberry Bush. The colouration was overall , almost charcoal grey with the buffy pale belly .

taken in Saskatchewan, Canada today

thanks

Nick

 

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Last edited: Aug 24, 2006

Garrett Lau

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2006

• #2

It looks like an Eastern Phoebe.

--Garrett

 

AlexC

Aves en Los Ángeles

Opus Editor

• Aug 24, 2006

• #3

Agree with Garrett just on jizz and darkness of head in contrast to breast. Eastern Phoebe for me.

 

nikovich

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2006

• #4

thanks alot guys - I didnt even consider Eastern Phoebe because this little guy was no bigger than a House Wren - I guess they come in small, medium and large

 

Last edited: Aug 24, 2006

Motmot

Eduardo Amengual

• Aug 24, 2006

• #5

Tiny size mentioned and apparent broad eyering make doubts come to me about this being a E. Phoebe. Maybe it´s just the picture

 

nikovich

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2006

• #6

I updated it with 2 more pics ...

I fired off a burst of shots - 3 per 1.5 seconds - I was lucky that he stood still for even THAT long

 

lockbreeze926

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2006

• #7

Always hard to tell from photos, of course, but it looks much too small for a Phoebe. Also, as Motmot suggests, the eyering is good for a Least Fly, or at least some Empid.

Most (all?) Empids have white wingbars, which the Phoebe lacks, but the photo doesn't show an angle where the wings are visible at all.....

On the other hand, the head looks too dark for a Least. How about Alder then? Pewee?

Oh, I don't know, I hate flycatchers. They are the birds of Satan.

 

lockbreeze926

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2006

• #8

Was overtaken by nik's post - now it's got a gray head.......aaargh.

 

nikovich

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2006

• #9

I know ..Empids seem to be my Devil birds too this little thing certainly confused the Hell out of me ( no pun intended )
It's head is dark, it's bill is dark - but it's the size of a Least and very very fast.
You know now that you mention Wood Pewee ...the Eastern Wood Pewee is a small bird with a dark head and bill...

In contrast - I took this photo today in our backyard - which I can nail down as a Least for sure :
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/nikovich71/leastfly-24.jpg

 

Last edited: Aug 24, 2006

JANJ

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2006

• #10

Looks perfectly good for Eastern Phoebe. with it´s all black bill, where a Western Wood-Pewee, to mention one difference, usually has a pale lower mandible and a different jizz.

http://www.roysephotos.com/WWoodPeewee.html

Alder:

http://www.roysephotos.com/AlderFlycatcher.html

Eye ring on Nicks shouldn´t be to problematic:

http://www.pbase.com/image/25981030

http://www.pbase.com/image/42973861

JanJ

 

Last edited: Aug 24, 2006

nikovich

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2006

• #11

Thanks Jan - I'll be more than happy with an Eastern Phoebe - especially since it's a new backyard bird for us

 

Chris Benesh

So much work, so little time...so let's go birding

• Aug 27, 2006

• #12

Hi All,

Eastern Phoebe seems to be the overwhelming favorite choice for this mystery flycatcher, but I would be pretty surprised if it really was one. At the very least, it doesn't come across to me as having the jizz of a phoebe. My general impression is that of an empidonax, and structurally, it looks quite Least Flycatcher-like.

To me, the eyering seems rather un-phoebe-like. I realize that JanJ found a few images of Eastern Phoebe with some elements of eyering, but they don't seem to be of the same thickness as that of the mystery bird (i.e., not thickened at the rear of the eye, and essentially absent above the eye, unlike the mystery bird).

http://www.roysephotos.com/EasternPhoebe.html

It is tough to be too conclusive about which species of empid, but it is a slim, narrow tailed species, that has the impression of being really short winged (though true primary projection is invisible). If Nick felt it had Least Flycatcher habits, that would certainly make sense to me.

Chris

P.S. flycatchers are great, not the birds of Satan! :-O

 

Last edited: Aug 27, 2006

D

danehower

Well-known member

• Aug 27, 2006

• #13

I am wondering if that cluster of berries gives any indication of the bird's identitiy ? Or do they all like a little fruit . good for the digestion I guess. lol

 

Chris Benesh

So much work, so little time...so let's go birding

• Aug 29, 2006

• #14

Hi All,

For what it's worth, I took Nick's images to my annual business meeting and showed it to some of my birding guide colleagues. All but one felt it to be an Empidonax, with several thinking Least Flycatcher, and one or two hedging on which species of Empid. No one felt that it was an Eastern Phoebe.

Chris