Memorial Day weekend in Washington Co.

A few birds of note were found this weekend in Washington Co., UT. Starting out on Fri. night Rick Fridell and Kristen Comella found a female AMERICAN REDSTART at the Red Hills G.C. in St. George. The next evening the bird was seen again by Rick and Steve & Priscilla Summers. The next morning the four of us (Rick & Kristen, Steve & Priscilla) birded Lytle Ranch for much of the day. Interesting finds at Lytle included a Great Blue Heron sitting on a nest in a rookery of one, one VAUX'S SWIFT, and a well studied CLAY-COLORED SPARROW. Perhaps most interesting were three "Western" Flycatchers one of which called at least 5 times. Each time the call was clearly the single upward slurred note of a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER. If Pacific-slope Flycatchers can be conclusively identified by the call note then this was one. It is generally considered in the lowland desert areas of Arizona, California and Nevada that all migrant "Western" Flycatchers are most probably Pacific-slope so it is not surprising that the same would hold true for at least the sw Utah deserts. All this of course is pertinent if you believe that there are two species of Western Flycatcher that can be conclusively identified by call.