Subject: Re: Yellowish flocks of flycatchers
Date: Sep 11 12:44:29 1996
From: Mike Patterson - mpatters at orednet.org




If think it's also worth considering the possiblility (especially if these
birds are appearing in "groups") that they are...maybe... Yellow Warblers.
Yellow Warblers in the fall are olive and yellow. They have a conspicuous
eye ring. They hatching year females can be quite pale and flycatcher-like.
The have flesh colored bills. It would explain the groups and all the yellow.

An easily confused species in the fall, I think...


>
>>At the risk of humiliating myself by discussing bird behavior with an
>>expert like Dennis Paulson, I must say that the last two times I've been out
>>birding I've observed very similar behavior in groups (I didn't say flocks)
>>of flycatchers. I gave up trying to ID flycatchers the last time I
>>mortified myself on OBOL; but some of the one's I've been seeing the last
>>two weeks do have a yellowish cast (olive in bright light?) on their
>>breasts.
>>
>>John Shelton
>>Portland, Oregon
>
>I'd say that even "groups" surprise me, as flycatchers in North America are
>strictly nonsocial. There could well be small family groups, but I
>wouldn't have expected them as late in the season as the report about which
>I commented.
>
>As far as coloration goes, maybe there's a problem of semantics. Lots of
>flycatchers have yellowish washes on their bellies, but not very many on
>their breasts. The word "breast" may be confusing the issue. ??
>
>Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
>Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
>University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
>Tacoma, WA 98416
>
>
>
>

--
*********************************** I was of three minds
* Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR * like a tree
* mpatters at orednet.org * in which there are three blackbirds.
*http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters* -Wallace Stevens