<<On Wed, May 14, 2014 at 12:55 AM, Ted Floyd <tedfloy...@hotmail.com>wrote: I read with interest SeEtta Moss's post the other day about apparent pairs of migrant Gray Flycatchers. In my experience, empids of all stripes are strict loners on migration. Even when they're "dripping from the trees," empids--unlike, say, Clay-colored Sparrows and third-graders--find a way to spread out. Empids are good with "personal space." Again, in contrast to Spizellas and nine-year-old humans.
So check this out. Yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, May 13, after the weather had cleared, what should Hannah and Andrew and I come upon at Greenlee Preserve, Boulder County, but--you guessed it--two Gray Flycatchers. Not only that, but two Gray Flycatchers clearly hanging out with each other, foraging together on the ground, chasing around in a tree, and then eventually flying off a ways together. The two were decidedly chummy. To paraphrase Luke Skywalker, I'd never seen such devotion in an empid.">> Ted has such a creative mind for colorful titles that grab attention, I had to take advantage. By way of follow-up I was able to find only 6 Gray Flycatchers yesterday in the areas I had surveyed when I found at least 22 the day before. And today I could only locate 2 Gray Flycatchers but not paired up as in different locations. Hopefully this indicates most of the ones grounded by the unusual late snowstorm earlier this week found enough food and got rested enough to continue their migration journey (maybe they were some of those seen in the past 2 days in northern Colorado). On Monday and Tuesday I found one MacGillivray's Warblers, but today. I had a single Virginia's Warbler on Monday and had one today that was singing (well, they aren't far from breeding habitat). I saw only a couple of Swainson's Thrush earlier this week and a number of Hermit Thrush, but today the numbers of Hermits had significantly increased to more than 15 from Sell's Lake, east on the bluff trail about a mile and return on the river trail of the Riverwalk. The Black-headed Grosbeak and now the Evening Grosbeak are calling and/or singing all along the Riverwalk. I only saw 2 Lazuli Bunting today with one singing and the other busy eating. A couple of Black-chinned Hummingbirds were visible along the Riverwalk while a number of male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds trilled as they went about their business today. Several Bullock's Orioles are being heard and I saw at least 5 Western Tanagers that are migrating through. Today I heard a first of the year Red-eyed Vireo singing down the bluff trail of the Riverwalk while a Warbling Vireo sang on the river trail. Today there were a good number of Yellow-rumped Flycatchers all along the Riverwalk sections I birded and Sell's Lake with a few of them singing. There are good numbers of Yellow Warblers establishing territories and beginning nesting along with a few Yellow-breasted Chats and Common Yellowthroats. And I refound a Northern Waterthrush in the same part of Sell's Lake where I had found one on Tuesday, seems likely the same one still trying to fatten up for further flights. I got photos of the Northern Waterthrush as it worked the small limbs of the overhanging trees on Sell's Lake and I have uploaded them to my Birds and Nature blog<http://birdsandnature.blogspot.com/> . Hope I helped some of the insect eaters with the tiny crickets I dispensed on Tuesday. SeEtta Moss Canon City http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAAUvckqA%2B-VW8WXEfFd0QorRJSx_9Xt-iopcK_mXN-TdVm%2BSjQ%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
