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Posted by John Boyd on 18:12:01 09/09/07
In Reply to: Flycatcher ID? posted by tricia
It's not unusual to see pale Great Crested Flycatchers during migration, and that's what this is.
The brown upperside of the tail is simply a tightly closed tail.
The primaries aren't visible, so the bird is likely molting. The head also looks odd, perhaps also from wear/molt. This all contributes to its odd appearance.
Key fieldmarks include the pale base to the lower mandible, the broad edging on the innermost tertial, and the dark face (on Brown-crested, the pale throat color extends onto the face).
A Brown-crested in September would be extremely unusual. Even October is rare. They usually show up in Nov. or Dec.
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