Chasing the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Warning: Serious Bird Geekiness Below
Most bird guides shown the range of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (“YBFL”) extending only as far west as the Yukon Territory. But beginning in about 1998, Alaska Bird Observatory started getting the occasional bird in its mist nets, including hatch year birds, indicating breeding in or west of Fairbanks. Then in about 2002, a small colony of nesting birds was found near Eureka, in the headwaters of Minook Creek. So no one laughed out loud when there was a report of a bird at 27 Mile, Steese Highway.
WC headed up there on Friday night, and between thundershowers found two males, having a territorial dispute, about 3/4ths of a mile from the reported location. The light was crummy, and the limited photos WC was able to get left open whether it was a YBFL or one of its Empidonax cousins. Emps are (in)famously difficult to tell apart, and Interior Alaska has two other Emps, Alder Flycatcher and Hammond’s Flycatcher.
So on Sunday WC, Mrs. WC, Ronn Murray and his girlfriend headed out again. And after, an unreasonable effort, found what is probably a third male:
Note the strong eye ring, the bicolored bill with the lower half yellow, and the yellow wash on the belly. All are good indications of YBFL. But the best way to tell the Emps apart is by voice, and this fellow was kind enough to call for us. Which confirmed the ID. This bird is in very different habitat from the area around Minook Creek. Birds of North America (subscription) says “Flycatcher nests in cool, moist conifer or mixed forests, bogs, swamps, and muskegs, landscapes that are often flat or poorly drained.” This bird was on a dry hillside above partially re-vegetated mine tailings. BNA admits, “Yellow-bellied Flycatchers have been little studied on their breeding grounds, wintering areas, or in between. Life-history information is poorly documented.”
It’s hard to say if this is range expansion or simply folks noticing an elusive bird that has been around the whole time. Either way, it’s fun to find a new bird near Fairbanks.
