Ash-throated Flycatcher

Oct 2 2014 Boundary Bay 104th St Delta B.C.

I really hadn't meant to photograph the vagrant Ash-throated Flycatcher again but on my way to find some shorebirds a small gaggle of birders and photographers were actively looking for the bird so I stopped to chat. Since my first shots, the moulting process had been in full swing and the best words to describe the bird was 'ragged and worn"
Suddenly the Ash-throated suddenly popped out of the brush so I decided to see whether I could improve on the composition from my previous series of shots. My first few shots from mid-Sept the flycatcher was perched on a dead branch and the dark background. My second attempt I had it catching a darner. This time I was after better composition. The advantage of the zoom lens became apparent when the flycatcher first flew in very close to us. With the 150mm-600mm zoom I was able to compose an image in camera at around 500mm on my D7100 and come up with a completely different looking image from previous efforts.

Ash-throated Flycatcher

I am happy with results as it gives me a different perspective. The bird is completely separated from any background distractions. I use Lightroom© for editing but try not to shoot too many "same same" images once I know I have a good record shot. I suppose it goes back to the days of film when you could see a 'keeper' image through the viewfinder as the mirror flipped. I see quite a few people rattling off hundreds of shots of the same thing and wonder wouldn't their time be better spent birding  than editing. 

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

Rare BC Flycatcher

Sep 14 2014 104 St Boundary Bay Delta B.C.

When the news of an Ash-throated Flycatcher at 104 St in Delta surfaced I decided to go down and have a look. Myself, the novice and two really experienced birders scanned every bush without much success. Finally after an hour or so the bird flew from a small fir tree onto a dead branch. It spent several minutes dispatching a darner, eventually maneuvering it head first down its gullet.

Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens)

The Ash-throated is a larger flycatcher is rarely seen in BC, very few records exist over the last ten years so this was a special treat to all who have managed to seen it. The bird was again seen Sept  17/14. Coincidentally a few years back another flycatcher, a Tropical Kingbird also spent a few weeks at the same general location.

I like this image because of the clean background. The head looking back into the frame tells us that the bird is on the lookout for food or perhaps wary of a predator.

What a way to spend a Sunday morning!  Our never ending summer has brought all kinds of birding surprises to our doorstep and for me and many other another "Lifer" to enjoy.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale