[birding] Correction: "Possible" Dusky Flycatcher at finley

[Austin Booth]

I thought my post made it sound like what I saw was almost certainly a 
Dusky Flycatcher. I wanted to say I'm not 100% sure what I saw 
especially considering how rare Dusky Flycatchers are this far west. 
With that said it certainly looked a lot like one and seemed like the 
habitat was right. It was a drab olive-gray color overall and had light 
horizontal lines on the tips of the greater and median coverts. It was 
slightly smaller than the Western Bluebird which was on another sign. 
Unfortunately I only got to study it for about 10 seconds before it flew 
so I don't have any real distinguishing details. It was in the same pose 
and looked a lot like this picture of a Dusky Flycatcher:

http://www.roysephotos.com/zzDuskyFlycatcher3.jpg

I've looked through my Sibley guide and I can't find anything else I 
could have mistaked it for other than a Hammond's Flycatcher but 
wouldn't it be less likely to see a Hammond's in an open brushy habitat 
with small shrubs? I also think the projection of the primaries was 
shorter than you would see in a Hammond's. I would appreciate the input 
of another birder more experience than I and any ideas on what I may 
have mistaked it for that would have been in that habitat, maybe I was 
way off and it wasn't even a flycatcher. If anyone is going to finley 
anytime soon I would suggest you check out that open grassy hillside 
right after you pass Cabell Marsh on the hillside above the road where 
all the shrubs are, If I was right with my ID you may see a Dusky 
Flycatcher.

Austin Booth

On 5/19/2010 12:28 PM, Austin Booth wrote:
> I birded Finley this morning. I didn't see any of my target birds but 
> I added a few others to my year list. I came in on Finley Refuge Rd 
> and did the loop to Bruce Rd.
>
> At Cabell Marsh I had a male LAZULI BUNTING near the observation 
> gazebo structure at the top of the hill had good scope views of 
> BAND-TAILED PIGEONS perched in the dead trees when you first get down 
> to the marsh.
>
> At the big grassy hillside on Finley Refuge Rd right after Cabell 
> Marsh I saw what I believe was a DUSKY FLYCATCHER perched on a sign at 
> the pull out. I'm not great at distinguishing empidonax flycatchers 
> but based on the habitat (a grassy hillside with scattered shrubs and 
> small trees) I'm thinking it was most likely a dusky.
>
> There were lots of finches, goldfinches and black-headed grossbeaks at 
> the feeders at refuge headquarters. One particular bird was very 
> interesting, I believe it was a Yellow variant Purple Finch which I've 
> never seen before, I've only seen it in house finches.
>
> On Bruce Rd I heard two VIRGINIA RAILS calling as soon as I got to the 
> scrape ponds and I also heard a SORA. In the same location toward the 
> back of the scrape pond I saw an AMERICAN BITTERN sticking its long 
> head and bill out of the grass. On the other end of the scrape ponds I 
> saw 4 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS where they had been seen before, 3 
> females and one male.
>
> Austin Booth
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