ML91667261

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Continuing. Seen approximately 2 miles up canyon at the nest site. We arrived at about 9:20 am, but did not located the bird until 10:12 am, and we observed the bird for at least 30 minutes before beginning the hike back down the canyon. I do not believe it ever vocalized, and relatively foraged near to the nest tree, suggesting a small territory. I noted that there was a male Cordilleran Flycatcher only about 20 yards up the canyon from this bird (where the stream crosses the trail), which would probably represent competition for this bird. It is likely the nest is either at the upper end of the territory, or perhaps in the middle of a small territory. However, with the plethora of invertebrates available, I find it hard to believe this bird would need a very large territory. Also I did *NOT* see more than one individual, and until someone does definitively record more than one individual, I do not believe it is appropriate to assume there is a pair. Though it is quite possible there are two individuals, the presence of the nest does not prove there is a pair. If the bird in question is a male, then it is quite possible he built the nest in anticipation of attracting a female. It may also be possible that the bird present is a female, and if this is the case, then there may be infertile eggs in the nest. I would simply caution people from jumping to the conclusion that there are multiple birds. Once we got onto the bird, it was quite mobile, that the sight reports of multiple birds in the relatively small area in question are reflections of this bird's mobility. The bird itself was a compact flycatcher, reminiscent of an Empidonax, with ochre colored underparts, and greenish colored upperparts. The throat appeared slightly paler and less saturated buffy than the rest of the underparts. The wings were a slightly duller olive color as compared to the rest of the upperparts, with two whitish wing bars. The bird's lower mandible was orange, with a dark tip, and appeared relatively wide. I was unable to see the bird's upper mandible as it foraged at the mid to upper canopy level. The underside of the bird's retrices were a dull olive-gray color. every now and again the bird would raise its crest, though the bird's head appeared rounded for the majority of the time I observed it. The bird did not appear to have an eye-ring of any sort, though the harsh light and frequent movement on the bird's part made it difficult to tell. The nest itself is located approximately 50+ feet in what appeared to be either a Sub-alpine Fir, or a White Spruce (I am not familiar with the Spruce/Fir tree species present in this mountain range, and did not want to disturb the Flycatcher by getting a closer look). Overall the habitat was one of a relatively open deciduous understory and an open conifer canopy. The nest was located in the lowest (mostly dead) branches of the Conifer in question and was tucked in the "V" of a main dead branch, and a secondary branch hanging off the main one (as evidenced in my photos). The nest itself was a cup nest perhaps 3-6 inches in height, and maybe 2-4 in diameter. It seemed relatively large compared to the size of the bird itself. The outside surface of the nest appeared to be covered in lichens, perhaps for camouflage. The bird did sit in the nest for a while, but it is impossible to know if there are fertile eggs until said eggs hatch. Photos by Wyatt Egelhoff: On Nest- Out in open-

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 50D

ISO

1250

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/1600 sec

Dimensions

2675 pixels x 2096 pixels

Original file size

1.5 MB