BIRDING TO THE EDG

Today I finally caught up with an Ash-throated Flycatcher in Cape May, New Jersey. Ash-throated Fly was getting to be a really ridiculous nemesis bird for me in New Jersey and it was good to finally clean it up. If Texas or Arizona, not New Jersey, come to mind when you think about Ash-throated Flycatchers then this blog post is for you.

Ash-throated Flycatcher photograph in Cape May, NJ by Cameron Cox with a Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lens.

Why would I expect to see a Ash-throated Flycatcher in Cape May? Over the past 15-20 years a late fall (typically November) influx of southwestern species has been noted in the northeast. For some reason, a number of birds from the southwest, most notablely Cave Swallow, Ash-throated Flycatcher, and Western Kingbird, are blown up into the northeast after long periods of southwest wind. They are most often found by birders when a strong cold changes the wind direction to the north west, driving these misplaced birds to the coast where they are concentrated at south face peninsulas like Cape May. While Ash-throated Flycatchers are certainly not common in New Jersey, they are expected annually, particularly in Cape May. I could have gone and seen several over the 5-6 falls I have spent in south Jersey but I always expected to find one on my own. Last year I got fed up with my lack of Ash-throated Flycatcher success and chased several in the Cape May area but to no avail.

The bird I saw today was found over a week ago, but I had no chance to look for it until today. Unlike prior Ash-throated searching, the bird popped up almost immediately and was very cooperative. At one point it almost lost it's life as a juvenile Cooper's Hawk came blasting through the woods and made an unsuccessful grap for it.

Someone not familar with this late fall dispersal of Ash-throated Flycatchers might see a Myiarcus in the east in the late fall and write in off as a late Great-crested without looking carefully because Great-crested is the common breeding species. This is why understanding seasonal changes in distribution is such a useful tool for becoming a better birder. From November and through the winter a Myiarcus in the northeast is far more likely to be a Ash-throated than a Great-crested.

Ash-throated Flycatcher photograph in Cape May, NJ by Cameron Cox with a Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lens.

Seperating Ash-throated from Great-crested is quite simple for a careful observer. Ash-throated is a smaller, slimmer bird with a much smaller bill. In coloration it looks like a very washed out Great-crested. The belly is pale yellow and the chest is pale gray and, unlike Great-creasted, the one color seems to fade into the other with no distinct dividing line.
On the upperside of the bird look at tertials. They are dark brownish gray with pale gray fringes. Great-crested Flycatchers have darker gray tertials with bright white fringes.

Check your local patch for Ash-throated Flycatchers and other fun southwestern things. In recent year some of these birds have lingered into Christmas Count season.