A Second Look at the Flycatcher

In mid-December eBird Rare Bird Alerts came in daily with reports of the Ash-throated Flycatcher at Halibut Point. I'd gotten a nice photo of it during its first appearance in early November, and decided to feature it in a blog posting. Additional pictures and experiences would have been nice to broaden the story. I dutifully roamed the perimeter of the Park meadow once or twice a day encountering a fair number of other pilgrims who'd seen it, or hadn't. Thursday evening's publishing deadline came and went with my bonus sighting wish unrequited. Friday morning I made one more unrewarded field trip and went to press with what I had at noon, as you've seen.

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Friday was a beautiful day, worthy of a nice relaxed afternoon visit to the Park. I set up the camera for a Little Sit at the edge of the woods. Darned if the flycatcher didn't land promptly on a branch overhead. The rufous highlights on the afterparts of its otherwise light coloration made a clear announcement.*

After darting off for a bit the bird returned to perch right at eye level for some exquisite poses. With the tripod in place I was ready to record the moment.

Of course this had nothing to do with its intention to compensate me for all those days of disappointment.

The flycatcher was finding winter survival food in the fruits of a bittersweet vine.

Hopefully it will continue its resourceful ways here as seriously cold weather challenges even the hardiest creatures.

* In the last posting I should have mentioned its close relative the Great Crested Flycatcher as also having rufous coloration on its wings and tail. The latter species appears regularly at Halibut Point as a summer resident that favors the treetops. Several mid-to-lower canopy flycatchers, including Phoebes and Peewees, have entirely gray and white plumage, sometimes with a yellowish cast on the breast.

An Adaptable Flycatcher

Since early November this far-ranging bird from Western North America has attracted quite a stir among Essex County birders who have flocked to Halibut Point to admire it.

Ash-throated Flycatcher

The bird, an Ash-throated Flycatcher, is extraordinary not only because of its rarity in these parts but because of the name given to it by the ornithological world. It seems that poetry has stumbled over too many good intentions requiring an extra breath in the middle of the mouthful. 

Well, ask any of its pursuers, it's been worth the sight. The warm rufous plumage on its wing and tail edges distinguish it from other local flycatchers, all of which had long since departed for sensible southern climates. 

Early in its residency six weeks ago when insects still supported it on sunny days, this flycatcher sat still on a promising perch until it spotted prey in the air. Then it flew out in pursuit with a butterfly-like flutter or, more aptly, like a bat that also catches bugs on the wing. 

The season has turned chilly and bugs are scarce. One observer reported on eBird this week that he watched the flycatcher "consuming fruits of both Oriental Bittersweet and Multiflora Rose, two hated (by fanatics) but ornithologically very beneficial non-natives." 

Halibut Point is well-stocked with those berries. Last night brought our coldest spell yet. The adaptable Ash-throated Flycatcher was out foraging again this morning.

The Buck Stopped Here

Despite all the cautions for a deer in the wild, Halibut Point State Park has been a hospitable  home this year for a doe and her fawn who have become increasingly comfortable with human encounters.

Speculation naturally arises as to the whereabouts of the fawn's father. Is he a visiting swain only during rutting season? Does he leave his offspring to be single-parented through the trials of youth and coyotes? Or is he around, invisible, masterful, protective, enabling?

Early last month, damage to tree bark at shoulder height confirmed that at least one antler-rubbing males is in the area. It's mating season.

The other day the doe loped out of the woods and crossed Gaffield Avenue into the meadow. I waited with camera ready, in Big Sit mode.

Soon a very differently proportioned deer emerged onto the road to size me up. I was looking eye-to-eye at an eight-point buck. It scrutinized me and my equipment. Inborn caution made it wary of a man squinting through a scope.

The doe waited at the far side of the meadow. In these uncertain circumstances the buck crossed the field to join her, white-tailed signal fully erect.

It turned to face me again, it's masculinity on full display, senses and limbs quivering. Its attention focused completely on decisions of life and death importance.

For just a moment the buck stopped here. Its eyes surveyed the world around it. They gave a lens into the beast and its ancient lineage. Those dark pools looked variously black, or bronze, or purple, or verdigris.  I stared into their intelligence and life force.

The Stakeout and The Big Sit

Recently a good many birding enthusiasts were drawn to a spot at Halibut Point where an unusual sighting was reported several days in a row, at precisely the same place. This led to frequent gatherings of hopefuls who wanted a lifetime glimpse, or maybe extended communion with a rare treasure.

Western Tanager

The subject of desire was this Western Tanager. The bird was not always easy to see. Sharp eyes and patience were premium qualities. The observers waiting at this singular place were on a Stakeout. 

American Robin

A Stakeout is not so different from a Big Sit, except that it has a specific central character. Once rooted to the spot an alert observer may enjoy a variety of species passing through.

Cedar Waxwing

There in the same cedar tree a small flock of Waxwings stopped to forage berries. A photographer already set up in the Stakeout was better prepared to capture the moment.

Fox Sparrow

Meanwhile an elusive Fox Sparrow emerged from the wood line, tolerating the presence of several still figures on Stakeout.

Song Sparrow

The full appreciation of bird life meant keeping on eye on the adjacent meadow during the Tanager Stakeout. This Song Sparrow was emboldened to come up in the canopy of spent flower stalks for a look around.

Hermit Thrush

Stillness also encouraged a pair of Hermit Thrushes from their secret foraging in the tall grass.

American Goldfinches

Peripheral vision sometimes detects the motion of birds on the fringes of the Stakeout area. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

At that first signal we can pivot to (try to) focus on the details of another (unwitting) subject for admiration.

Bald Eagle

A Stakeout becomes a Big Sit when scanning and swiveling extend to the whole sphere of observation.

Western Tanager

 

Western Tanager

Excitement pulsed through the Eastern Massachusetts birding community this week when a Western Tanager appeared at Halibut Point. Reports on eBird brought scores of folks to the Park for a chance to enjoy this vivid rarity, and perhaps to add it to their lifetime sighting list.

Surrounded by grapes

The tanager was seen reliably in the same spot over a four-day period, high in the canopy of a pear tree where the desiccated fruit of a grape vine provided good forage.

In the cedar tree

Alternatively it hunted insects in an adjacent cedar tree. It often made fluttery loops out to catch bugs on the fly.

Range map for the Western Tanager
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

We can only guess how this bird had strayed so far from its traditional range. Speculations on the subject occupied thoughtful conversation immediately after the initial delight at seeing a beautiful novelty.

The tanager and a goldfinch

One online source giving aids for identification of the species suggested a comparison with the American Goldfinch, which is similar in coloration but considerably smaller. Obligingly a goldfinch posed alongside the tanager in this picture.

Quite likely a juvenile male

Onlookers were curious about a fuller description of the bird. This photograph seems to show some characteristics of a male in winter eclipse plumage and some of a female, although the coloration is brighter than that expected for a female. Consensus settled on an immature male. For advanced birdwatchers the challenges of identification through each species' seasonal plumage changes and life histories adds a sporting element to the quest. 

A male Western Tanager in breeding plumage
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology website

Anyone seeking the full spectacle of this bird when it's feathers blaze for procreative privileges will have to reverse the travel of our migrant visitor and scout its western homeland in the spring.