Thursday, November 10, 2011

Dusky-capped Flycatcher in Shoshone, CA 92384 - Birding near Death Valley

On Nov 5th while birding for Crissal Thrashers on the Blue-Trail in Shoshone, we spotted a small flycatcher with a light yellow belly and breast. My first impression was that of a miniature Ash-throated Flycatcher, that was vocalizing with a single not wheezy whistle slightly descending. The Myiarchus Flycatchers all look quite alike, so that when one sees an Ash-throated, Brown-crested, Great-crested(in the east) or Dusky-capped, one knows that it is a Myiarchus by it's orange brown coloring in the flight feathers and tail feathers, and yellow underparts and otherwise brown coloring with a crest that looks thick and brown, sometimes reminding me of an old fashioned shaving cream brush.

   In North America, the Dusky-capped Flycatcher normally breeds only in se Arizona and extreme sw New Mexico. Truly a tropical bird, it's natural range continues into Brazil, and Peru. There are 13 subspecies of Dusky-capped Flycatcher, and if anyone can tell by these photos or the video clip on my home blog page, I would be very grateful. The bird has not been spotted since Nov 6th.

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