[CT Birds] western fly

Tue Dec 4 13:00:27 EST 2007

  Roy's links to the North Carolina bird, especially the call playback seems to mirror the experience Nick had with the Derby bird.

  The call described today by Brian ("seet") is how the NC guys decsribed the calls of the NC individual.

  I don't have an audio card at work so couldn't listen to the calls, but it would be interesting if the guys that heard the Derby bird calling could listen to those calls and give some comparisons.

  Call right now, coupled with the playback bnehavior is probably the best clue to id. this to species. If, as everythign suggests that both call, measurements and plumage overlaps, it seems strange to entertain the idea of two separate species if they cannot be reliably separated in the field outside of their breedding range.

  Congrats to those that noted the call and made the effort to playback calls since if we can gather evidence it would be nice to nail it down a little further.

  Julian

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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:01:21 -0500
From: Bob Richard 
Subject: [CT Birds] Guilford, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
To: ctbirds at lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: <47555DB1.1030609 at snet.net>
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12/4 - Guilford, Backyard--Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at suet feeder 
around 7:45 AM

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Message: 8
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 07:57:40 -0800 (PST)
From: Roy Harvey 
Subject: [CT Birds] Western Flycatcher Tuesday YES
To: ctbirds at lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: <762459.61497.qm at web83210.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

>From Randy Domina:
12/04 - Derby, Osbornedale State Park -- The WESTERN FLYCATCHER
continues, found around 10:13-10:30, feeding down low in the same
area.

Roy Harvey
Beacon Falls, CT

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Message: 9
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 08:09:01 -0800 (PST)
From: Roy Harvey 
Subject: [CT Birds] East Haven Common Redpolls
To: ctbirds at lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: <300966.51341.qm at web83201.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

>From Dori Sosensky:
12/04 - East Haven, Proto Drive -- 11:00, about 80 COMMON REDPOLLS at
the usual feeding spot.

Roy Harvey
Beacon Falls, CT

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Message: 10
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 08:20:14 -0800 (PST)
From: Phil Asprelli 
Subject: [CT Birds] Bald Eagles
To: ctbirds at lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: <95541.92181.qm at web83008.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

>From Phil Asprelli
Tues. 12/4 - Hamden, State St.
Pair of adult Bald Eagles in trees across from Graybar Electric Co. One mile north of DMV.
Easily viewed from Graybar parking lot.

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Message: 11
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 08:36:21 -0800 (PST)
From: Roy Harvey 
Subject: [CT Birds] Western Flycatchers in the East - web search
To: ctbirds at lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: <693502.29243.qm at web83203.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Below is what I have been able to find on the web about records of
Western / Pacific Slope / Cordilleran Flycatcher from eastern states.

Roy Harvey
Beacon Falls, CT

New Jersey has one record from 1981. This was before Western
Flycatcher was split into Pacific Slope Flycatcher and Cordilleran
Flycatcher in 1989, so it is not specific as to species. The NJ
citation:

PACIFIC-SLOPE/CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER Empidonax
difficilis/occidentalis (1, 0)
1 Brigantine NWR, ATL 16 Nov 81 D Sibley, R Maurer AR96

Massachusetts has a recent November record that was not nailed down
between Yellow-bellied and Western. I found the description below at
http://massbird.org/MARC/MARCreport11.htm.

"Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris), #05-53, November
4, 2005, Brewster (Barnstable). An Empidonax flycatcher with a very
green back and yellow belly was captured by a bander on November 4.
The date was very suspect for Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, but the p10
to p5 measurements were inconsistent with the most likely candidate,
one of the ?Western? Flycatcher complex (Pacific-coast Flycatcher, E.
difficilis and Cordilleran Flycatcher, E. occidentalis). Based on
measurement, it was submitted to the MARC as Yellow-bellied, but
experts agreed there were too many anomalies to make a definitive
decision. (First ballot: Vote: 4-5)"

Pennsylvania apparently has at least two records for Pacific Slope
Flycatcher. Their web site is pretty thin, but in a pdf I find an
index by species:

Pacific-slope;

Second State Record of Pacific Slope Flycatcher, Lancaster County;
Eric Witmer; 54; 156

Birding the Mundane and Finding the Rare... First Record of a
Pacific-slope Flycatcher East of the Mississippi; Joe Meloney &
Harold Morrin; 44; 135

Pacific Slope Flycatcher, Lancaster County; Franklin Haas; 44; 142

Virginia has it on the state list as the complex but I was unable to
find out anything more:
Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatcher E. difficilis/occidentalis

North Carolina is very interesting. Their record is from January
2000. They DID get recordings, but still did not make any definite
choice between Pacific Slope and Cordilleran, though the evidence
favored Pacific Slope. There is a good bit of information on a
couple of web sites, including the recordings and some not very good
photos.

http://www.carolinabirdclub.org/chat/issues/2003/v67n1nc_brc_2002.pdf
http://www.carolinanature.com/birds/psfl.html

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