Subject: [Tweeters] Washtucna:6/21
Date: Jun 21 08:01:37 2007
From: Arch McCallum - archmcc at qwest.net


correction: today is thursday 6/21/07

Thanks to all for posting about the Western Flycatcher at Washtucna.
I saw those posts right before leaving Eugene yesterday to drive to
Moscow, ID, to give a paper on Western Flycatcher vocalizations at
the Cooper Ornithological Society meeting. So, I arranged to be at
Bassett Park at 4am this morning to record the bird. Sadly, there was
no Western Flycatcher to be found this morning, 6/20/07, in
Washtucna, from 4-5 am, which is prime time to hear them singing. I
drove all the streets I could, and made several circuits of the park.
Once they are nesting westerns are less likely to sing, but even
nesting birds usually sing predawn. I hope others will keep checking
the park and see if there is a nesting pair there. I agree with
Charles that it looks just right.

I went on to Colfax, where I found the species down right common. A
bird was singing at the park. I heard male position notes up the
street from the park, and three different birds gave male position
notes from the narrow but dense fringe of trees on the bottom of the
slope east of the eastern most street in town. For a westside guy,
the Veery I heard up Fairview street was also nice.

Anyway, I think the determining factors for western flycatcher
nesting are a surface for the nest (either a cliff or a human
structure) and moss to build it with. The need for moss may be the
reason they are often near water. Like Gene Hunn, I have found these
birds in some pretty dry places, but in my experience moss was always present.

Back to Washtucna, while I was searching for a western I found a
Least Flycatcher singing intensely. He was in the patch of white
poplar just east of the windmill, which is in a small park at the
south edge of town.

Regards,

Arch McCallum
Eugene, OR


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