I was shooting from my blind on the 3rd and thought my Willow Flycatcher had come back, but as I was photographing it, something was bothering me. I finally got to working on the images today and realized that it wasn’t the Willow, instead it was a Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Interestingly, they both exhibited the same method of taking a both: Plunge down from a perch and almost bounce out of the water back to a perch, groom a bit, and repeat several times. It’s utterly amazing how wet they can get themselves just bouncing in and out a few times.
Just for fun, I’m posting the Pacific-slope and following it with a somewhat similar pose from the Willow that I took yesterday. I have poses for both that I consider more interesting, but these show the field marks better.
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (based on appearance and location since Cordilleran is supposed to look identical):
Pacific-slope: 7DII, Sigma 150-600 C @ 500mm, tripod with ball head and Sidekick mount, f/8, 1/500, iso 2000, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Cropped to 3048x3450. Taken July 3rd at 2:23 pm under overcast skies.
Willow: Same gear at 421 mm, f/8, 1/400, iso 2000, manual exposure. Cropped to 4062x2790. Taken at 1:08 pm on July 4th.
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Dennis, I can see where while looking through the viewfinder you would have had trouble knowing for sure which Flycatcher you were capturing. Both are excellent shots, with great poses, and excellent details. That is interesting how they bath.
Wonderful photo Dennis. These two do look very similar and I do like how you have presented the two version in a similar pose. Love the detail in the feathers of both birds. Nicely done.
Excelklent capture on both of these flycatchers. I do like the pose of the willow over the Pacific slope flycatcher. However, the subtle colors of the PS flycatcher remind me of a great crested flycatcher. Wonderful captures on both of these. Disregarding the poses, that color in the first image is very nice. Well done…Jim
Good job with both of these exceptional images. I haven’t seen any flycatchers or warblers this year around my place which is most unusual. Maybe I need to plant grains in my garden so I can have:
Flycatcher in the Rye…
