SueO
Well-known member
I thought I had a new bird for my life list this week with a Buff-breasted Flycatcher. The photos were not good enough or thorough enough for corroboration, and I have doubts of my own, so it doesn't get listed. I still think that's what I saw but thinking and knowing are two different things.
Yesterday, I was out again (twice) and found another empid. It seemed so yellow compared to the Pacific Slope/Cordilleran, and the post-ocular 'tear-drop' seemed less pronounced than usual. I remembered there is a Yellow-bellied and some other empid whose name wouldn't come to me that is more 'yellowy'. I thought maybe the Empid Gods were rewarding me for pulling the rug out from under me. As these thoughts swirled around, the bird took off. I was freshly slathered in mosquito repellent and was able to stand fairly still for a bit of time, so I hung around and found him again. I asked if he would please just let me get some good shots for ID, and boy, did he. I was not only able to take my time and focus, but he lifted his wings, held them out, and posed in nearly every angle. I was so stoked! I got a lifer after all! This took place at the beginning of my walk, and I went on with a glad heart, a refreshed spirit, and an eagerness for an even more successful hunt.
So, I get home, download my excellent shots and pull out my books. There is a Yellow-bellied empid and there is a Yellowish empid, however, neither would be seen here. I had either a Pacific Slope or a Cordilleran. Thinking about things, I guess I see these most often in the dry season. It makes since that it would have more color when the feathers reflect the intense green of this forest at the end of the rainy season.
I won't get into the hours (years) I put into the Willow/Alder in Panama until I was finally able to get a positive ID. I feel like I have some kind of Empidonax curse, still, I smile every time I see one of these cruel little birds.
Yesterday, I was out again (twice) and found another empid. It seemed so yellow compared to the Pacific Slope/Cordilleran, and the post-ocular 'tear-drop' seemed less pronounced than usual. I remembered there is a Yellow-bellied and some other empid whose name wouldn't come to me that is more 'yellowy'. I thought maybe the Empid Gods were rewarding me for pulling the rug out from under me. As these thoughts swirled around, the bird took off. I was freshly slathered in mosquito repellent and was able to stand fairly still for a bit of time, so I hung around and found him again. I asked if he would please just let me get some good shots for ID, and boy, did he. I was not only able to take my time and focus, but he lifted his wings, held them out, and posed in nearly every angle. I was so stoked! I got a lifer after all! This took place at the beginning of my walk, and I went on with a glad heart, a refreshed spirit, and an eagerness for an even more successful hunt.
So, I get home, download my excellent shots and pull out my books. There is a Yellow-bellied empid and there is a Yellowish empid, however, neither would be seen here. I had either a Pacific Slope or a Cordilleran. Thinking about things, I guess I see these most often in the dry season. It makes since that it would have more color when the feathers reflect the intense green of this forest at the end of the rainy season.
I won't get into the hours (years) I put into the Willow/Alder in Panama until I was finally able to get a positive ID. I feel like I have some kind of Empidonax curse, still, I smile every time I see one of these cruel little birds.