2501 E Sherman Ave #35

Coeur d’Alene, ID

208-818-7879

As requested by Shirley Sturts I am submitting a list of my personal Least Flycatcher records for north Idaho from the two summers I’ve lived here. All birds were identified by song, no identifications were based solely on call note or structure or plumage. In many cases I did not even see the bird. I was the sole observer in all cases.

between Clark Fork and Johnson Creek in eastern Bonner County.

May 30, 2005 – 13 birds heard singing, several of them seen, while walking the two mile length of the Deep Creek Trail at Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge in Boundary County. They were spaced regularly along the trail. There were also two others singing in the cottonwood grove at the start of the one-way tour loop just past (north of) the visitor center.

July 10, 2005 – I heard at least one bird singing near the start (north end) of the Deep Creek Trail in Kootenai NWR but did not walk far on trail.

June 2, May 22, 2005 – One bird heard singing and seen while birding the stretch of road 2006 – On my way to Glacier National Park I stopped at Kootenai NWR and despite the rain heard several different Least Flycatchers singing along the first half mile (from the north) of the Deep Creek Trail.

June 23, 2006 – I heard two Least Flycatchers singing at different locations in the cottonwood grove along the dike road in Boundary Creek Wildlife Management Area in Boundary County (right on the Canadian border.)

July 3, 2006 – On my way back from birding southern Idaho I stopped at an overgrown rest area along the highway south of Salmon and I heard a Least Flycatcher singing on the opposite (west) side of the road. The rest stop is south of Tendoy between mile markers 114 & 115 in Lemhi County. The habitat here is much denser than the open cottonwood groves where I’d found the other Least Flycatchers but the overstory is still cottonwood. Other birds singing here included Veery and Northern Waterthrush to give an idea of the habitat.

HABITAT: In all cases in Bonner and Boundary County the Least Flycatchers were encountered in groves of Black Cottonwood along large slow-moving creeks. The birds I observed sallied for insects from about eye-level to mid-story. Although the mountains are close in all instances there are few conifers within a few hundred meters in most cases. The Lemhi County bird was singing from a much denser thicket along a smaller stream but the overstory here is also cottonwood. Of the common western Empidonax flycatchers Hammond’s and Dusky would not be expected in this habitat at this time of year and these areas are beyond the range (and habitat) of Gray Flycatchers. This habitat is not great for "western-type" flycatchers and not as good for Willow Flycatcher but, of course, none of these birds can be ruled out by habitat alone. (The Lemhi County site looks just as good for Willow Flycatcher and I have also seen/heard a Willow Flycatcher along Deep Creek and heard them at Boundary Creek.)

IDENTIFICATION: As stated earlier all identifications were made by hearing the song but I will mention that roughly half the Kootenai NWR birds and the one Bonner County bird were seen, and they were seen well enough to conclude Empidonax by sight alone. In all those cases I noted a small, gray, sallying flycatcher with upright posture and a distinctive eyering and wing bars. The lower mandible was, at least mostly, pale. In many cases I also heard the birds give a "whit" note.

The distinctive song was the base for all identifications. In every case I heard a sharp, emphatic "che-beck" with the accent on the second syllable. At times it was just a single "che-beck" repeated at intervals of a few seconds and at other times it was a rapid series of "che-beck"’s. Sometimes both types, the rapid series and the singles, came from the same bird at different times.

The song is much different form the songs of Dusky and Hammond’s which include 2 to 3 different phrases. Some of these phrases may approach that of Least (never as emphatic) but they are always linked to another phrase in a series. (Never did the song of any of the Least Flycatchers change from the "che-beck".) The distinctive, wheezy "fitz-bew" of the Willow Flycatcher is different in quality as well as trailing off slightly, not with Least’s sharp notes and abrupt ending. Also, Willow Flycatcher usually accents the first syllable, (and does not show as distinctive an eyering as Least.) The more whistled songs of the "western-type" flycatchers are more obviously different and confusion is unlikely.

Of the larger flycatchers the confusing Contopus genus is perhaps most similar but the burry song of Western Wood-Pewee is very different and usually has two parts and the whistled "quick, three, beers" of Olive-sided Flycatcher is even more obviously different. These birds also use prominent perches often, something none of the Least Flycatchers were seen doing. Say’s Phoebe’s downslurred song is much different (as well as its appearance) and Eastern Phoebe’s song usually consists of two phrases (it also looks quite different and is a bit out of range, despite a recent summer record.) The kingbirds are much larger and also sound much different. I could go into more possibilities but the sallying behavior and upright posture of the birds I saw and the simple song should limit all reasonable possibilities to the Tyrannidae. There are many potential vagrants from around the continent and beyond that could fit this description but it is unlikely that I would encounter 15 of them singing in one day at Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge.

I suppose I should also mention that I have birded Kootenai NWR and walked the Deep Creek Trail in all other seasons and have not heard the "che-bek" except during those occasions listed above (which span seasonally from May 22 to July 10).

My personal experience with Least Flycatcher began in the early 90’s living and birding in Pennsylvania and working at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory in northern Michigan. It was there I learned that, for some taxa, songs and calls are much more valuable for identification than plumage characteristics and the Empidonax flycatchers certainly fit into this category. I also worked as a birding guide in Belize for a winter where Least, Yellow-bellied, and Acadian Flycatchers are common and I’ve spent two winters in Florida where Least Flycatchers are occasionally encountered through the winter, but neither of these experiences would contribute to a familiarity with the bird’s song. I have extensive experience with the western members of this genus and family having lived and birded California, Arizona, and New Mexico for a total of five years and I’ve spent a total of over two years birding the neotropics where wintering Empidonax and similar resident genera provide additional challenges.

I realize heard-only reports of review list species are suspect so I only submit these records as support to all the other records of Least Flycatcher in Idaho. I apologize for not obtaining sound recordings of any of the birds but I did not realize I would be submitting a report for this species.

As I’m sure you are aware, farther west in eastern Washington there were also several reports of Least Flycatchers throughout this summer. One particular bird at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge in southern Spokane County was seen and heard by many observers including me. (It was doing the same "che-bek" song the whole time I was there.)