Today was an exciting day. Dale Ohl (my sister-in-law) and I rode down to Santa Elena Canyon with Kelly Bryan. We got there early. We were there hoping to find a probable
Nutting's Flycatcher reported and photographed from there. Other birders had been looking unsuccessfully since daylight. Apparently, the bird doesn't forage until the sun comes out and insects become active. After about an hour of about ten people spreading out searching, I located the bird as it began foraging across from the rest rooms, one of its favorite haunts. A birder from Virginia had gone hundreds of miles out of his way just to see this bird. He just happened to be the person closest to me when I spotted the bird, so I called to him in a loud whisper that I had the bird, "get Kelly." Bless his heart, he took off in the opposite direction of his coveted sighting, without so much as a glimpse of the bird, to get Kelly. When Kelly arrived, everyone then gathered around quietly while Kelly recorded the sound. As luck would have it, after the first call Kelly's recorder broke. Not knowing that, I was stopping cars and asking people to turn off their engines so he could get quality recording. However, the flycatcher didn't vocalize again all the while we were there. That didn't prevent everyone from getting ample looks and photos.
All that saw the bird agree it must certainly be a Nutting's
. But until the record committee rules, we can't count it. It didn't forage the same as the only other option, an Ash-throated Flycatcher (ATFL). I felt the tail looked too rufous for an ATFL, and the belly was too yellow. Not to mention that ATFLs usually vocalize (a different call note) freely. Too much brown on the top of the head and rufous on the rump for an ATFL. The jizz just wasn't the same.
I didn't really work at taking good photos. Kelly takes better shots than I do and he was there taking lots of them. I socialized with old friends (and made new ones) more than I would have if documentation would have depended on me.
I took a few photos just because I could.
UPDATE: Eventually confirmed as a Nutting's.
6 comments:
Great shots! My kind of bird - sleeps in late =)
Good for you with the crowd/noise control - Matt and I were pulling our hair out over all of the vehicle noise (including an RV that had its generator going THE WHOLE TIME) and kept getting interrupted by curious nonbirders =/ We did try to be diplomatic!
Nice job, Carolyn! So proud and happy for everyone. I knew if/when the bird showed, it was going to be a rock star. Gleaning and hawking all over that traffic circle. What a great bird to observe! That generally silent little sucker..
Good point about its "schedule". Remember, the original finding party came across it in the afternoon.
Thanks, Matt and Heidi. It's so exciting. Birders are getting better and better, which translates into more great sightings with documentation.
Thanks so much for the update. Comparing your pics with all of my guides, I don't think you have to worry about the committee. I think you are right on the money on the ID. Great photos, by the way.
Thanks, Bob. A member of the committee is going to see the bird tomorrow. That should clinch the ID.
Post a Comment