1-10-09--the experts who identified the flycatcher in Choke Canyon as a first US record Pine Flycatcher posted yesterday that there was likely more than 1 species of flycatcher there and that some may have identified another species as the Pine. Having read their updated information on field marks and photos of confirmed Pine Flycatchers, I don't believe that these photos are of a Pine Flycatcher after all. That will teach me--when I watched this bird I told the other birders that it sure looked like a Least Flycatcher and it was amazing that anyone could tell it from one. Lesson learned--even when everyone thinks a bird is a hot rarity, check the field marks yourself and rule out other species.
Today I couldn't pass up chasing the Pine Flycatcher, an uber rarity, as it was located in Choke Canyon State Park less than 20 miles off my drive to San Antonio. This is the first time it has been documented in the United States. It was a rewarding detour as I saw the tropical flycatcher more than a dozen times, albeit mostly brief views, in the hour or so I looked for it.
I did get opportunity several times to watch the bird for as long as a minute or two, including one time when it perched quietly in the shade of a tree. It emitted a "whit"-like call many times. The top pic enlarges clearly when double-clicked. SeEtta
Today I couldn't pass up chasing the Pine Flycatcher, an uber rarity, as it was located in Choke Canyon State Park less than 20 miles off my drive to San Antonio. This is the first time it has been documented in the United States. It was a rewarding detour as I saw the tropical flycatcher more than a dozen times, albeit mostly brief views, in the hour or so I looked for it.
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