[Maine-birds] Re: Western Kingbird, La Grange

Attached are some much much better photos (cropped). I returned with a 400mm lens and the bird was still there. There's white on the outer retrix which I believe confirms a Western Kingbird. There's decent parking near a stone wall at the site, making the area a bit more accessible than I realized previously. The second time I returned, the bird was perching on some snags 20m off the road right across from the stone wall 100 m south of the original observation. Original location (linked). Second location (linked). 

Happy birding,

Brian Rolek

Orono, ME

On Sunday, July 29, 2018 at 3:29:21 PM UTC-4, Brian Rolek wrote:

Hi Folks,

I observed what I think is a Western Kingbird today near La Grange. I documented some poor photos and videos (linked below) on my phone; however, I think those are enough to rule out the resident birds. 

I had great looks from 20-30 feet with great lighting for about 30 minutes, It was large gray bird with yellow extending from the middle of the chest back through the undertail coverts.  The bird had a gray back that was much darker on the wings and the tail. The bird didn't have a crest on its head and lacked any rufous or brown distinguishing it from a Great-crested Flycatcher. The bird  appeared pale on the throat to the mid-chest, and had a darker gray color over the eye. I looked pretty closely at the tail's feather tips and did not see any white, excluding Cassin's Kingbird, but I didn't get a look at the outer retrices. There was also a Eastern Kingbird in the area and they got into a little tussle, and they were very similar in size. The bill was relatively small compared to the head, pushing me more towards Western Kingbird. 

Unfortunately, I have a busy schedule coming up and won't have time to return for a better photo/video. Be safe if you visit, because the speed limit is pretty fast (50 or 55), there's only a half shoulder to pull off. The bird was sticking to the power lines, mostly above a strip of shrubs on the east side of the road. I believe the surrounding area is all private, but the bird was sticking to the road. 

The location is pinned in google maps and linked here. If you freeze the video as the bird takes off, you can see the yellow underside. The videos are a large files so I'm sharing them via google drive (best video linked here). This second video has a short call ("yip") from the bird right in the first second (linked here). And here's a third video (linked). Apologies for the bad videos, but it's the best I could do given the circumstances. Any other identification suggestions are welcome, and I've only seen this species a few times before in Florida, and there are several similar looking birds from the west and tropics. If you have any trouble viewing the video files just email me (below) and I'll try to find a better way to share. The videos are much clearer if you can download them.

Brian Rolek

brianrolek at gmail dot com

Orono, ME 

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