A report of a Hammond’s Flycatcher in Iowa County put me in the chase mode. The bird was reported on Sunday, but I put off the run until today, Tuesday with other things going. This bird is a very rare visitor to the state of Wisconsin being a western US-Canadian bird. Going in the Wisconsin record books as a 1st state record of this species. Mark K joined me for the trip out to Iowa County and we arrived at the reported location about 7:20 am with no other birders around. About 7:40 am the bird flew over us crossing the road and landed in a deciduous tree near the road. We both confirmed at that time that that was the bird we had been waiting for. After a few seconds the bird dropped down at a creek bed and we never really seen where it went. About 10:15 am, the bird reappeared and gave nice looks but far off the road perched in a tree for about 30 seconds, now about 18 other birders were present. It was a very exciting moment if you were there! The bird disappeared again and we left after about 20 minutes. Thanks to Edgar for finding this rare bird and getting the word out for others to try for it. A great time out with other birders and bird #341 on my Wisconsin state life list. It was a chilly morning with temps about 12 degrees, no wind, the sun showed after a couple of hours with all the valleys around. Image was taken on December 11, 2018.
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Binomial name: Empidonax hammondii
Category: Sandpipers, Phalaropes, and Allies
Size: 5.5” long,8.75” wing span
Weight: .35 Oz.
Note: A rare visitor to the state of Wisconsin as the normal range for this species is the western US and Canada.
What a bonus bird for the end of 2018. Glad you were able to see it.
Congratulations, Jim!
He’s soo cute! Is it his tail that separates him from the other Common Flycatchers in our area?
Hi Jim. As an inexperienced birder in all things flycatcher, how are people able to tell the telltale signs of this little bird? Thanks.
What would a fly catcher be eating this time of year? 12 degrees. No insects flying.