Utah Bird Records Committee
Additional Material for Record 2014-018

  

  

Observer:  Ryan O'Donnell
Date: 23 Jun 2014
For Record #: 2014-018
Species: Least Flycatcher

Comments: 
  
On 19 June 2014, I returned to Newton Reservoir to see if the Least Flycatcher was still there. (It had been initially found on 5 Jun 2014 by Cullen Clark, and relocated by me on 6 Jun). The bird was continuing, but while I was listening to it sing, I could hear a SECOND Least Flycatcher singing about 120 yards away. I was able to record audio of both birds (separately), and those are available in this eBird checklist and on Xeno-Canto.org:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S18840513
  
On 20 June, Bob Atwood relocated one of the birds:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S18846715
  
On 21 June, Andrew Durso and Kendal Morris visited the location and found a total of THREE Least Flycatchers, all singing at the same time.
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S18851736
  
On 22 June, I visited the location with Andrew Durso, Kendal Morris, and Craig Fosdick. Again, all three birds were singing at the same time, persistently giving the distinct "che-BEK" song. Although we couldn't quite hear all three from one location, the four of us spread out so that we could each stand under one bird and see each other, with the fourth person serving as a kind of verbal relay. Collectively, we could hear all three singing at the same time. I made a video compilation of three clips documenting the three different Least Flycatchers. The video is too large to attach to this email, but can be viewed and downloaded here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tsirtalis/14464083696/

We saw another bird only briefly, being pursued by one of the singing male Least Flycatchers, that I believe may have been a fourth Least Flycatcher (probably a female), but I consider that identification inconclusive and I'm submitting this as a record of only three singing adult males. Mike Taylor was able to relocate two of the males later the same afternoon.
  
Sincerely,
Ryan O'Donnell


 


  


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