Hi:
My understanding and observations are that Gray's tail bob is a slight
raise then a slower dropping of tail. Not a flick. My gut says the bolder
wing bars and eye ring, the bill does not seem to have sharp dark tip but
a gradual darkening, and with a long but not long enough bill is pointing
to a Dusky, which do like to flick their tails, not a bob. But without a
noise, empids are just empids in many cases.
Bob Archer
PDX
On Tue, Jun 30, 2015 at 9:41 AM, James Billstine <billstinj@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
I was going through some old videos and pics last night and I came across
a video that piqued my interest. It was taken in early May at Thorn
Prairie, which is about 20 miles west of Diamond Lake and the Cascade
Crest.
http://youtu.be/X8deduaVcZQ
http://youtu.be/1f12qnmnv3o
https://www.flickr.com/photos/130946385@N05/19303186331/in/dateposted-public/
What I know about this individual bird:
-It's flicking it's tail down, and there are a few deeper pumps, but not
what I would associate with what I THOUGHT was "diagnostic behavior" for a
Gray Flycatcher based on the description "tail reminiscent of phoebe."
-It has a long-ish tail and bill, but is it long enough for Gray?
-This bird was not calling while I observed it, but there were many other
dusky flycatchers around that were.
What I don't know about Gray Flycatchers and what others may learn from
this:
-How much of a tail "flick" or "bob" or "pump" or "wag" is diagnostic for
a Gray Flycatcher vs. what other empidonax flycatchers do.
-Should I have named this post: 50 Shades of Gray Flycatcher?
So many questions,
Jimmy
--
James Billstine
http://birdsandbrawn.blogspot.com/
