View allAll Photos Tagged leastflycatcher
Least Flycatcher, Empidonax minimus, 5.25 in / 13.34 cm. COMMON in mature deciduous forests with brushy understory.
Baxter State Park, Piscataquis County, Maine, USA.
©bryanjsmith.
Did some research on the scientific names of birds recently and discovered that empidonax means "King of the gnats", which I thought was quite interesting.
This was a great outing! Several of drove out to Eagle Lake for a pot luck and birding with our friend Shirley.
The birding was excellent as was the pot luck!
Thanks everyone for your views, comments and faves. They are greatly appreciated!
At one point, wandering through the woods on Fish Point, I thought of finding my own perch and then waiting for the wave of migrating birds to flow through where I was. The first to arrive was this bird: one of the tricky Empidonax group. I am pretty confident that it is a Least: the small bill, wingbars, smallish compact size; they all seem indicative. One of the challenges of identification when the weather gets cold and wet in migration is that behaviours adapt to the weather, and the Empidonax birds were very quiet. If I have it wrong I welcome corrective suggestions!
Maybe not to eat though?
"One Least Flycatcher nest was found to have used dragonfly wings as nest lining." Cornell
A least flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) that was observed in the Magic Hedge Bird Sanctuary at Montrose Beach in Chicago during spring migration, 2018.
Flycatchers are notoriously hard to distinguish but the complete, bold eye-ring helps to identify this guy.
Chester County, PA
According to the Cornell Lab
of Ornithology, the Least Flycatchers are smaller with a smaller bill than the Acadian Flycatchers.
When birds are driven low, in large numbers and in a variety of species, it requires a real rethinking of photographic habits. When birds are moving and hunting in the trees, one is looking up, and walking around them in the trees. When they are on the ground, they are more easily flushed by stalking. So I kept finding places in the woods to set myself up on the ground and see what happened. The only trick was being ready - many more birds surprised me and snuck up on me than I was able to capture - and not having them sneak within focal range. This was one of my lucky moments.
I originally had this pegged as a Pacific-slope flycatcher but I was corrected by Mel and Isaac ( thanks guys ).
Another look at the same bird as in the previous shot. The whitish throat, greyish breast and pale yellow belly are evident here. I originally IDed it as a Pacific-slope flycatcher but the resident experts ( thanks Mel and Isaac ) set me straight.
Family: Tyrannidae.
Flycatchers got their name from their habit of catching flying insects in midair. Nearly all species feed this way; some also eat berries. Most Flycatchers are drab and have short, broad, flattened bills. Plumage and structure can be so similar among species within the various genera that voice is the primary field mark.
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America
Only got 2 shots cause this flycatcher "caught" me and took off. We only see these birds twice a year during spring and fall migration so glad I finally got one.
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)
My photos can also be found at kapturedbykala.com
eBird says it was a lifer, but that's only because I didn't keep good track of my sightings before 2017.
Seen at Paddy Knob.
This little beauty has been hanging around in the backyard for a couple of days. If I'm wrong with the ID please let me know.
These photos were taken on May 17th. This was our last full day in Tadoussac.
Once we returned from our grand adventure on the water we had an evening walk. The migration is still on and the birds are exhausted by their long flight. It was an amazing trip to be sure that will not be forgotten!
Thanks everyone for your views, faves and comments. They are always appreciated.
This is my first shot with my new 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro Lens which is just awesome. It's a wonderful piece of glass.
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)
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Remember to follow @clixofnature for regular interesting bird posts.
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#leastflycatchers
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