As most of you are probably aware, a Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher was found by Zak Poulton on the morning of 11 October. As luck would
have it, this was also the first day of the Birding and Wildlife Festival held
each fall on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. As a result, many folks were able
to see and enjoy this wonderful and rare bird. The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
was quite fond of a dead tree located just south of the intersection of Seaside (Rt.
600) and Cedar Grove Drive. It was last seen on 14 October.
I was able to obtain some photographs of the Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher that show enough detail to age the bird despite the cloudy and rainy
conditions over the weekend. Our flycatcher has a molt limit on its wing. The
greater and median coverts and tertials are darker and fresher looking and they contrast
with the rest of the older and more worn wing feathers. Additionally, Pyle
(1997) illustrates the different shapes of the outer (p10) primary depending on
a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher’s age. A hatch-year bird’s p10 is not notched, but
an older, say after-hatch-year individual, would have a rather impressive notch
on the outer primary. As you can see in the photo below, p10 is not notched in
our flycatcher. Both of these reasons point to this bird being a hatch-year.
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| Scissor-tailed Flycatcher gleaning prey from spiderweb. Note the un-notched outer primary and darker greater and median coverts and tertials. Photograph by Steve Kolbe. |
Determining the sex of this Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is a
bit more challenging. Of course, some in-hand measurements would probably sort
it out quickly, but since that was not possible, we have to resort to a bit of
conjecture. Females have shorter tails than males of a corresponding age and
also tend to have less pink in the flanks and underwing coverts. Check out the photo below
and decide for yourself. But I’d be willing to bet that our visitor from the
south was a hatch-year male.
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| Scissor-tailed Flycatcher gleaning prey from spiderweb. Note the (moderate?) amount of pink on the flanks and underwing coverts. Photograph by Steve Kolbe. |
Today, 17 October, a party led by Bob Ake discovered a Western
Kingbird just around the corner from the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher spot. This
bird was seen throughout the midafternoon along the easternmost portion of
Cedar Grove Drive.
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| Western Kingbird. Note the long wings, yellow belly, pale gray head and breast, and black tail with white edges. Photograph by Steve Kolbe. |
This location is on fire right now. What will show up next?
