tail pumpers

I had a good look at the small flycatcher -- either the same bird as yesterday or another one of the same species -- and it clearly showed its short primaries against a relatively long tail along with a very narrow (almost invisible) eye ring, buffy wing bars and vigorous tail pumping. Although this bird was hunting in the understory of the woodland edge (like an Eastern Wood-Pewee) and not in dense bushes near water (where we see Willow Flycatchers in breeding season), it was certainly a migrant Willow. I've had all of the Eastern Empidonax flycatchers here in migration.

Another flycatcher that turned up this morning was a Great Crested; this is a bird that has bred in these woods (or very nearby) but is also part of the great autumnal migration (flycatchers are typically early migrants). Another tail pumper of the morning was the season's first Prairie Warbler in a feeding flock led by Chickadees; other warblers of the morning were Black-and-whites, Yellowthroats, Northern Waterthrush and American Redstart.

An amusing moment of sorts was provided by a team of Blue Jays striving -- and eventually succeeding -- in driving off a young Green Heron from a tree-top post, apparently taking it for some sort of raptor.

Eric Salzman