Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Willow or Alder Flycatchers, Female Scarlet Tanagers, Song Sparrows and Silver-bordered Fritillary of the Vermilon River. A Post to WBW.

 Alder or Willow Flycatcher.
Flycatchers are one of the hardest birds to identify because so little is known of them. The Least, the Alder, and the Willow all appear alike. This is not a Least Flycatcher because the chest area lacks the yellow tinge along the wing line. I'm certain it's not an Acadian, which is an endangered species because I'm out of its range, and it lacks the distinctive head. So that leaves the Willow and the Alder, which as Cornell says was the same species at one time. I think it's a Willow but I'm prepared to settle for either because as Cornell points out the bird call is the only certain way to know, and I didn't hear the call.

If this isn't difficult enough, the next photos are pictures of a female Scarlet Tanager, another first for me and the area. Now I just have to find the male and get him to pose. Are you ready for this one? Scarlet Tanagers, according to Wikipedia, are no longer members of the Tanager group, but now are in the Cardinal Group. Can you imagine being cut by your own group? I put the Song Sparrow in because I like them and they're still sparrows, at least for the remainder of the week. The Silver-bordered Fritillary was originally intended for an earlier post,but I forgot to put him in. I really like him also, despite the difficulty identifying him, so here he is.
Front View Willow or Alder Flycatcher.

Alder or Willow Flycatcher.

Scarlet Tanger.

Female Scarlet Tanger.

Female Scarlet Tanger.

Song Sparrow.

Song Sparrow.

Silver-bordered Fritillary.

20 comments:

  1. Lovely captures Gary...
    Nice to see you are still seeing butterflies.

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  2. Great series of photos and I find the scientists name changes very confusing as well!

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  3. Great shots Gary.
    It'd be so much easier for us if they wore name badges lol

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  4. Well done on the tanager Gary!!! You got a beautiful set of pictures and I'm amazed by the number of species you have around you! Like you said, not so easy to ID

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  5. Don't you just love it when seemingly identical species get split out into separate entities! Great photos Gary.

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  6. I like the sparrows, too. They're such independent little cusses. Funny about the Scarlet Tanager not being a Tanager. Next, those silly scientists will be changing their minds about global warming.

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  7. Great series Gary. You are finding some rare sights indeed. I'll bet DNA testing will shuffle the deck even more when it comes to the avian family tree.

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  8. what a beautiful collection of our feathered friends.

    i LOVE your header pictures!!!

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  9. Thanks a lot for showing us the photos of the rare birds. You must have waited for a long time to catch the best moment. Oh,I want to listen to their calls!! All photos are great!
    Have a nice day.

    (Sorry, I made a misspelling.)

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  10. Hey there Gary~Just wanted to contact you here..You mentioned you will be on the cape soon. We are leaving on Saturday. If you will be around on Friday give me a shout...maybe we can all get together for a coffee. email me~Nobbiecat@gmail.com

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  11. Great shots Gary! The Flycatchers are so cute and the Song Sparrow is one of my favorites.

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  12. Hi Gary

    I always find Flycatchers very difficult, you did very well. The Tanager is nice I tend to overlook the female and concentrate on the flashier males.

    Regards
    Guy

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  13. Dang Gary...how do you sneak up on these birds???
    Cool captures!

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  14. Cute and lovely: I Like it here!
    Thank You!

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  15. Nice shots of the smaller birds.

    I was late in posting for WBW but did post an Owl on my blog. Maybe you could help identify it. Thanks. MB

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  16. Great shots! How do you always manage such lovely clear shots?

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