[TN-Bird] Re: Willow Flycatcher
- From: K Dean EDWARDS <kde@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: James Brooks <comeback@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2004 09:45:46 -0400 (EDT)
James didn't mention the biggest key to IDing Empids in my opinion
(other than voice): primary extension. Read Kauffman's "Advanced
Birding" guide in the Peterson series or look at Sibley. The first
thing to look at on Empids is primary extension, not eye-ring, etc.
The relative length the primaries extend beyond the tertials will
quickly eliminate many species and narrow your choices down to one
or two... at least in the Eastern US.
Dean Edwards
Knoxville, TN
On Thu, 7 Oct 2004, James Brooks wrote:
> 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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=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
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TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
endorse the views or opinions expressed
by the members of this discussion group.
Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
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