FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Willow Flycatcher

[James Brooks <comeback@xxxxxxxx>]

I had an Empidonax species flycatcher in my yard yesterday that allowed 
me several good looks, to the point that I feel comfortable in calling 
it a Willow Flycatcher.
It had a light gray head, noticably cresty, two whitish wing bars, very 
faint, and the eye ring was not noticable. I could not see back color 
looking from below. The lower mandible was more than yellow, more 
orangish. Belly whitish, with very faint to no gray wash across breast.  
He was flycatching primarily in black locust trees. I've probably seen 
more Willow Flycatchers in black locusts than willows, at least in this 
part of the world. They are more comfortable in small trees.
We are not supposed to call empids when they are not singing, but I know 
from field experience that Cubans like Arturo Kirkconnell, who never 
hear them singing, will call them when they get a good look.
Let's now play the elimination game: Eastern Phoebe immediately ruled 
out (virtually all the flycatchers in my yard are Phoebs). No tail 
wagging, lighter color, presence of faint wing bars ruled out the Phobe 
first thing.
I occasionally get Eastern Wood-Pewees, which do have faint wing bars 
but are much darker and with a gray wash over the breast.
That leaves the empid genus and the fun begins.
A worn summer Acadian is close, but it has a flatter head, a somewhat 
more visible eye ring, has a slightly darker wash across the chest. 
While migrating birds can be anywhere, Acadians prefer darker woods in 
the presence of water and I have exactly this habitat right across the 
road, not 100 meters away. Acadians in my experience are also more 
sedentary than this lively fellow,.
Least Flycatcher is somewhat smaller with a round head, more visible eye 
ring and a shorter bill. They normally appear big-eyed.
That leaves Willow, rarest at this altitude, but again, this is 
migration, but the Alder is not as cresty, with a flatter, rounder head 
than Willow, has a more noticable eye ring, and more visible wing bars, 
even in worn fall plumage.
In any case I'm making the call only for my personal list, and this was 
a year when I just didn't get out when empids were breeding, so I've 
seen none of them and empid. spp. would suffice. That's what I would 
have to put down on a fall count or be hooted out of the room by my 
fellows.
However, I think we should give closer study to this complex in fall 
plumage. Flycatchers do tend to sit still in the open for several 
seconds at a time, giving us much better studies than the warblers which 
we often have to identify a piece at a time and rarely see the whole 
bird. That doesn't bother anybody.
We are also looking at shorebirds this time of year at vast distances in 
fading light and having little trouble making out their subtle differences.
I submit that if one can presume to I.D. peeps at 100 yards, that there 
are also subtle visual differences among the empids that can be 
determined when in good view. When Long and Short-billed Dowitchers were 
first split, many experienced field birders said they could only be 
reliably told apart by vocalization (remember that?), but that just led 
to closer study and now they are routinely called in the field.
I'd welcome any further discussion on distinguishing fall empids that 
anyone would care to add.

James Brooks
Bear Run
Jonesborough
Washington County
Tennessee

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