What are the chances of seeing a small western flycatcher in New Brunswick? The chances are very slim especially for an Empidonax flycatcher, as shown in the statistics from eBird. The Hammond's Flycatcher is not even mentioned in Birds of New Brunswick: An Annotated List. We have had many western flycatchers seen over the years here including: Say's Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and Fork-tailed Flycatcher. Some of these species have been seen here this year. But not a Hammond's Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii. According to eBird, a Hammond's Flycatcher was seen and photographed on 13 November 2016 at Alma, Fundy National Park by Gilles Belliveau. I think one other was seen or listed as 'possible' by Jim Wilson around 2016-2017. There was no photo to confirm that sighting.
Nova Scotia has had two confirmed sightings. One was in 2013 where a Hammond's Flycatcher was banded on Bon Portage Island by David Bell. The second was in 2019 reported by Phil Taylor and seen and photographed at Acadia University.
The Hammond's Flycatcher is a small Empidonax flycatcher. It is 14 cm. long, just slightly larger than our Least Flycatcher which is commonly found here. It is tricky to identify these Empidonax flycatchers. There was a time in birding when they were all called just 'Empidonax' flycatchers because they are difficult to identify in the field.
The second confirmed New Brunswick sighting is the subject of this blog post. The individual reported here was seen and photographed by Jim Carroll on September 22, 2023 at Black River, Saint John County, NB. Black River is on the Fundy coast, on Route 825, east of Saint John and southeast of Garnett Settlement. It was seen near the Community Centre in Black River. It is fortunate the bird was seen by an experienced birder and photographer or it would not have been recognized. Jim Carroll is from the 'new school' of birders who view the bird with a camera first and binoculars later. He had about 5 seconds with this bird! Fortunately, he did get good photos as seen in this post (with his permission). For such a rare species a photo is the only way we can confirm its presence. The photos were taken with a D500 Nikon camera with a 200 to 500 mm. lens. In Jim's words, "Photo first and ask questions later!"
Jim was not sure what he saw on his camera at first. He sent it first to Merlin, the bird indentification digital app put out by Cornell Ornithological Laboratories. At first Merlin responded that it did not recognize that species. He posted it on our birding chat line and one of our top birders responded that it was 'possible' to see it here. He then returned to Merlin and posted a hypothetical location from out west and it answered with 'Hammond's Flycatcher'. This gave him the route to checking the key identification features and tentatively confirmed it as a Hammond's Flycatcher. Further work with the photos, other experts confirmed the sighting as a Hammond's Flycatcher. As of this writing, the bird has not been seen again.
Let's look at the life history of this rare species for in this area. The Hammond's Flycatcher belongs to the family Tyrannidae. It is a small insectivorous bird that normally inhabits coniferous and mixed forests in the western part of North America. It was named after William Alexander Hammond who, in the 1800s, was an army surgeon who birded in his spare time and collected birds for the Smithsonian Institution. The normal breeding range of this species is in the west from northern California northward to Yukon and Alaska. It winters in Mexico and the Tropics.
The Hammond's Flycatcher has grayish-olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail. It has a white eyering which expands behind the eye. There are pale white wing bars and the wings show a long primary projection. It has a short, very narrow bill with a mostly dark lower mandible. The head and throat are grayish and there is usually a gray or olive wash on the breast and sides. The belly is yellow. Fall birds often are more olive above and on the sides and breast and the yellow below is brighter.
What species do we need to distinguish this one from? If we were out west we would have to determine if it was a Dusky Flycatcher or a Gray Flycatcher. We would not normally have to think about that here but we must consider them. The Hammond's pip call eliminates the Dusky Flycatcher but Jim was not able to hear it. The Dusky Flycatcher has a short primary projection and its bill is longer and wider than the Hammond's. The same features eliminate the Gray Flycatcher as well and also the Gray Flycatcher flicks its tail which would help identify it.
In New Brunswick the Hammond's Flycatcher would have to be differentiated from the Least Flycatcher. The Least Flycatcher has a larger, more triangular bill that is pale in colour. The Least has pale underparts and also has a shorter primary projection and contrasting dark wings with prominent wing bars.
If you examine the photos above you can see all the identifying features of the Hammond's Flycatcher. Note on the photo immediately above one can even see the wash of light gray on the sides. The yellow belly is seen in all 3 photos. The top photo shows how the eyering expands behind the eye. The small dark bill with a dark lower mandible and long primary wing projection are very easily seen. The bird appears large-headed which is another descriptor for the species.
The Hammond's, the Dusky and the Gray Flycatchers are considered sister species with no evidence of interbreeding. The Hammond's Flycatcher itself does not show a lot of genetic variation. Its plumage and its morphology are consistent across its range. Scientists believe this is because the species was confined to an area below the ice during the Pleistocene Age.
Hammond's Flycatchers do not sing during fall migration nor on the wintering grounds. At those times one would only hear the pip call note. Male Hammond's Flycatchers are feisty during breeding season and can be seen physically fighting, often locked together in mid-air and fluttering to the ground. The Hammond's Flycatcher nests high up in tall trees and they prefer old growth forest. The cup-shaped nest is in the fork of a branch and 3 to 4 creamy white eggs are laid. The female incubates the eggs and both adults feed the young.
We are thankful that this special Hammond's Flycatcher was seen by a sharp birder/photographer who was able to 'capture' identifying photos in the short 5 seconds the bird was able to be seen. Many thanks to Jim Carroll! It is a good exercise in flycatcher identification.
