I received an email from Doug Kibbe, on 9/14, describing the amazing number
of birds that he and Mackenzie Goldthwait were surrounded by at Flagler
SWA. I posted that to Cobirds. In a follow-up message from Doug a little
later, the estimate of "about a hundred empids" was revised upward
considerably, so I wanted to get that fallout onto Cobirds for historic
reference. I quote Doug's second post, sent after they finished birding at
Flagler on 9/14:
"We suspect the number of empids was probably *several hundred.* (Emphasis
added). The birds were seemingly in every bush both north and south of the
lake.
In total, I think we had six Blue-headed vireos, four Nashville
Warblers, three Great Crested Flycatchers, two Mourning warblers, two
Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, two Alder Flycatchers, a Philadelphia Vireo,
and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak."
Not able to resist the temptation to drive out there despite the limited
hours I had allotted for Sunday AM birding, I arrived at Flagler at about
7:40 this morning, Sept 15, and dutifully noted that: "Flocks have fled
Flagler." For the next hour I estimated that "several hundred empids" must
have left there overnight on the brisk north winds. Mark Chavez and David
Gillilan joined me, and we soon found ONE empid, which was confiding,
allowing our close inspection. Mark hammered it with photos. We tentatively
ID'd it as a first fall Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, but were of course
hesitant until the bird report had been reviewed by the Colorado Bird
Record Committee of the CFO.
Glenn Walbek, Loch Kilpatrick and Ira Sanders joined us and the bird was
refound and rephotographed, as per Glenn's recent note on Cobirds. (Great
photos, Glenn). As I was leaving leaving at 9:45, Roger and Brenda Linfield
arrived. Others may have come later.
MANY THANKS go to Mackenize ("Kez") and Doug for alerting birders to this
massive and unprecedented empid fallout and in particular to the YB Fly. We
who were there today consider ourselves massively fortunate that although
hundreds of empids had gone AWOL, the putative Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
was the one that stayed put.
As they say in Sri Lanka, "Serendipity is better than no dipity at all."
Joe Roller,
Denver
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