Tweeters,

While on the subject of ALDER FLYCATCHER, one was reported on June 6
at Kettle Falls, WA by Michael Force, who is doing bird survey work on
the Colville Nation Forest for several weeks. Mike is a long-time
friend of
mine and one of the best "ear birders" I have ever known, so I am 100%
confident of his identification. I don't think Mike realized at the
time just how unusual it was, though he obviously does now.
Unfortunately, the bird was only present for one day, and like my 1991
bird west of Oroville, he was not able to get a tape recording.

The following two messages which Mike sent to BCINTBIRD (the BC
southern interior E-mail group) are forwarded with Mike's permission.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net

____________________________________________________

Hi Birders,

I don't know what it's been like in the Okanagan, but around here in
Kettle Falls it has been a deluge the last couple of days. For the
first time this season, we were forced to cancel our forest bird
surveys on Sunday morning and had to be content stomping around the 3
scheduled sites opening pit-fall traps (wet, muddy and practically
birdless). After the rain had stopped we checked out some local sites
and found a nice Alder Flycatcher at the Franklin D Roosevelt
National Recreation Area in Kettle Falls, a Northern Mockingbird at
the Colville Water Treatment Ponds (there was an American Avocet there
as well) and the singing Clay-colored Sparrow is still around at the
FDR NRA. A couple of Caspian Terns on the Columbia River was an area
first for me, as was the breeding plumaged Horned Grebe. It may be
lousy weather to work in, but the birding is good. Today the
Mockingbird was gone and instead there was an immature Double-crested
Cormorant sitting on the telephone pole, taking over
a perch normally reserved for Red-tailed Hawks. In fact, I almost
didn't put my bins on it, thinking that's what it was! By the way, a
fifth attempt to find that elusive White-headed Woodpecker was again
futile.

Keep dry!

Michael Force
Kettle Falls, WA

(Message sent June 7, 2004)

_________________________________________________________


Hi Don, n' all,

I was wondering when an Alder Flycatcher was going to show up in the
valley this spring. We found one 6 June here in Kettle Falls during a
period of wet cold weather. The bird perched silently and still about
30 cm above the ground at the base of a Saskatoon bush and wouldn't
budge until chased by a Willow Flycatcher. Fortunately, it called
several times so perhaps it will pass scrutiny by the WA birds
committee (it's the second state record so documentation is required).
The intensity of yellow on the underparts was striking and at first I
thought of a Myiarchus! Also, very green on the upperparts, but
useless for identification.

The Clay-colored Sparrow that spent 4 days at the same location
finally disappeared. I guess it had had enough of being chased by the
Eastern Kingbirds.

Good birding,


Michael Force
Kettle Falls, WA


(Message sent June 15, 2004)