Utah Flycatchers # 1 (1 Viewer)

lockbreeze926

Well-known member

• Sep 25, 2006

• #1

Spending a few days in Utah allowed me to take a real pasting from the dull-gray devil birds. This one is the only individual I was even half-sure about. Located in a wooded mountain canyon, it spent its time perched conspicuously on the top of a 40-50 foot snag, hunting insects in typical flycatcher fashion. The high perching, more-or-less dusky breast and long wings suggest to me this is a Western Wood-Peewee. Am I right, or is even this one another mystery bird?

 

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Chris Benesh

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

• Sep 25, 2006

• #2

lockbreeze926 said:

Spending a few days in Utah allowed me to take a real pasting from the dull-gray devil birds. This one is the only individual I was even half-sure about. Located in a wooded mountain canyon, it spent its time perched conspicuously on the top of a 40-50 foot snag, hunting insects in typical flycatcher fashion. The high perching, more-or-less dusky breast and long wings suggest to me this is a Western Wood-Peewee. Am I right, or is even this one another mystery bird?

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Hey lockbreeze926,

Since no one else has offered an answer I guess I will. Yes, it is indeed a wood-pewee, and very likely Western based on your location. See, flycatchers aren't all bad!

Chris

 

lockbreeze926

Well-known member

• Sep 25, 2006

• #3

Utah Flycatchers #2 & 3

Thanks, Chris - what do you (or anybody else) think of these.....

The location is quite different - Antelope Island on Great Salt Lake, where there is one stand of trees which attracts passerines, being the only cover for many miles. Specifically, these birds (and I have a few more for this thread) were in an area of paddock/picnic tables, therefore open grass beneath tall trees.

The local Utah birdlist reported "all six possible" flycatchers in the area one week before, and a local birder I bumped into just too late proposed the most likely as being Dusky, Hammond's and Gray.

All the birds were acting typically, perching on low fences and darting down to catch insects, then back again to a similar perch. I couldn't make sense of any vocalisation beyond a monosyllabic cheep and wouldn't want to use that for ID.

There are two birds and my own guesses are that the single photo is a Dusky (short wings, long tail) and the other photos are of a Hammond's (distinctly longer tail).

 

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lockbreeze926

Well-known member

• Sep 25, 2006

• #4

Utah Flycatcher 4

Still at Antelope Island - shots of one bird - different to previous pictures. More Hammond's, or...?

 

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lockbreeze926

Well-known member

• Sep 25, 2006

• #5

Utah Flycatcher 5 & 6

Two more different birds, still Antelope Island.

 

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lockbreeze926

Well-known member

• Sep 25, 2006

• #6

Utah Flycatcher 7

One more - by this point I have no clue.

 

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lockbreeze926

Well-known member

• Sep 25, 2006

• #7

Utah Flycatcher 8

I think this is the last one - looks like a Hammond's, but it's driving a tractor. Is this typical for the species?

 

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birdpotter

Well-known member

• Sep 25, 2006

• #8

i am very interested to know what others think these birds are. They all look very similar, almost the same, to me. None of them have the tail-tale spectacles that the ones you listed as possibilities have.
I haven't a lot of experience with flycatchers, but I can see that if you really look at these photos, there are many many similarities that would lead me to believe it is the same species.

Best
Elizabeth

Oh yes, and I do believe there is one type of flycatcher who is notorious for driving tractors, brush-hogging, back hoe-ing...

 

T

Terry O'Nolley

Cow-headed Jaybird

• Sep 25, 2006

• #9

They look like Pee-wees to me. Strong wing-barring, no eye rings.

 

lockbreeze926

Well-known member

• Sep 25, 2006

• #10

birdpotter said:

i am very interested to know what others think these birds are.

there are many many similarities that would lead me to believe it is the same species.

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Yes - 62 views and only a couple of comments. Seems like the notorious Empids are quite intimidating.

My own view is that there are at least two species there - the Peewee on a treetop which Chris confirms above and #2, which has clearly shorter wings and relatively longer tail. Now, all the rest could be more Peewees, but these lack the dirty undertail coverts of a Pewee, or they could all be some third species, with a heavily notched tail (visible on quite a few shots). Or some other species, possibly the Willow, which I haven't mentioned, which was reported in the area and I think lacks the eye-ring sometimes.

Very confusing - another, general, point is that these are certainly several different individuals, observed at different spots around the same location. Given that six Empid species were apparently observed there previously, I'd vaguely hope for some variety over a range of individuals. Having said all that, they do look very similar in the field - this is why they are devil birds and also why I prefer birding in Florida winters, which are mercifully light on Empids. Phoebes are easy!

 

Motmot

Eduardo Amengual

• Sep 25, 2006

• #11

I too only see Wood-Pewees in these pics

 

Chris Benesh

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

• Sep 26, 2006

• #12

lockbreeze926 said:

I think this is the last one - looks like a Hammond's, but it's driving a tractor. Is this typical for the species?

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Hi All,

LOL! I'll have to remember the driving a tractor field mark.

Part of what makes the above birds so hard to tell apart is that they are indeed, all the same species, or at least they are all wood-pewees as others have said. To me, #2 still looks rather long winged. Compare the length between the longest tertial tip and the longest primary tip, to the length between the longest greater secondary covert and the tip of the longest tertial. You can see that they are almost the same length. In other words, for a flycatcher, this is actually a fairly long-winged bird. The pattern of the wing coverts (wing bars) is typical pewee, differing from the more boldly tipped coverts of Empidonax. The dark faced, eyering-lacking, slightly crested look is also perfect for pewee. The penchant for perching out in the open and returning to the same perch is much more typical of Contopus than Empidonax. Sorry to keep it brief, but I'm just resting between furniture moves!

Chris

 

lockbreeze926

Well-known member

• Sep 26, 2006

• #13

Thanks to everyone for their comments - looks like I now have an extensive gallery of Western Wood-Pewee photos. Actually, thinking about it, it's probably quite a feat to spend an afternoon in a potential Empid feast and actually find......none!

Still, I did have a Lewis's Woodpecker at the same location and that's unmistakeable (even for me).

Thanks again for the heads-up(s).

 

Last edited: Sep 26, 2006