ML437896351
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
- Playback
- Not specified
Observation details
The audio and photographs of this bird were initially submitted separately. The audio of the bird was submitted as Dusky as the whit call clearly separated Dusky/Gray from Hammond's and photos submitted as Empid sp as at the time I wasn't sure if there was more than one bird. Since this vocalization is not diagnostic for separating Dusky from Gray, Adrian and Jay reached out for more discussion. On the topic of the photos, Adrian and Jay both stated it looked good for Gray Flycatcher. Although the primary projection is not super short, it did fall into the range for Gray/Dusky. The bill is longer and thin enough to match for Gray although coloration of the bill can vary between Gray and Dusky in similar ways. The eye ring is better for a Gray and although variable, it is quite thin and consistent around the eye whereas a Dusky Flycatcher would have a little bit more of a messy teardrop on the backside of the eye. There is also a small white band above the bill that matches Gray and it does not have the pale lores that Dusky Flycatchers typically have. The overall coloration on the body is pale enough for Gray and is consistent in different lighting shown in the photos. In some of these photos the head seems to have a slight crest, but I did capture and attach another photo where the head is quite round and flattened. These differences are likely from the bird being quite active. This field mark also seems to be slightly variable for Gray's. The last item was the tail pumping. In the field I had observed this and wasn't confident on this being a key element, but after it was brought up in the discussion I did recall that the tail pumping was in a downward motion and at a little slower pace, seeming more “casual” in my mind instead of rapid up-and-down flicking. There are photos included that show a sequence of this action (before pump, pump, after pump) and after creating an animated GIF of the longer sequence of photos I had taken and taking into account what I observed in the field, it nails it down to a Gray Flycatcher. The last item that needs clarification is that in my initial submission I was unsure of how many birds were present. In the recording it sounded like there might be more than one bird and because I had visually lost it for a brief moment and found it again on the other side of the path nearby which had me wondering. I had found this bird in the ravine of the NE corner of the property which made it quite prone to any type of “echo” of the call bouncing off of the walls of the ravine if the bird had turned it's head while vocalizing. This spatialization of the call can be heard in the recording. Jay mentioned that he has heard Gray's make rapid fire calls at times, so seems consistent that it was just one bird. Since the photos include the bird before I lost it and after I refound it and they look the same, I am now confident that there was only one bird present and my initial confusion with the recording was likely due to environmental factors after reviewing the audio at home and visually losing the bird for a moment. Thanks to everyone who provided input, especially Adrian and Jay who helped in nailing down an ID on the bird!
Technical information
- Recorder
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 5.8 MB