June 14, 2020: Great Crested Flycatcher

Ever since the spring birds started arriving I've been hearing a loud, sharp, rising bird call coming from somewhere high in the trees.  I couldn't find the artisan producing this distinct sound, nor could I figure out from the guide books who it was.  Eventually I was so frustrated by it that I went to the Merlin bird app (from Cornell Ornithology Lab) and worked my through all the bird calls, starting with the most likely birds in our area, and finally I found it.  There was no doubt when I heard the recording of the Great Crested Flycatcher that this was my bird. 

I never would have guessed it was in the flycatcher family since the other common flycatchers I know - the eastern phoebe and the eastern wood-peewee don't make such a sharp call.  The great-crested does have a song similar to the other flycatchers, and I have likely many times attributed its song to one of these other flycatchers.  The great crested flycatcher spends its days high in the trees searching out insects and worms, which is why it's not commonly seen.  This is from the identification information from the Ornithology Lab:

"When the male sings, it's to be heard, not to see or be seen. He picks a singing perch within the canopy, well away from branch ends. In contrast, hunting perches require an unobstructed view of potential prey and unobstructed flight paths to them, whether the prey are in the air or on leaves or twigs. Both sexes favor hunting from dead branches with a backdrop of foliage for cover."

Several days later, when I heard it calling close by in the morning I went looking once again, and this time I caught the elusive rascal - it was hunting from the top of a dead branch just as the book instructed him to.

Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)

It's a pretty bird, with a lemon-yellow belly and a small (not very great!) crest on its head.  Here are two interesting facts about the great crested:  One, they like to use shed snake skins in their nests; and two, although they are flycatchers they also eat fruit, consuming them whole and then regurgitating the pits.  (Most birds peck at fruit and eat just the flesh.)  These are common birds in our area; once you know their call you'll probably notice them frequently, even if you never see one.

Waiting for the next unsuspecting insect to fly by.

Two weeks ago I shared a picture of a ground nest, guessing it was the nest of a hermit thrush or a veery.  This week those three blue eggs were replaced with three hungry mouths waiting for mom or dad to return with an insect or three.

Two mouths closed up when they realized I wasn't bring food.

So cute to see these little birds with giant mouths.  Hopefully they will soon be flying off to the trees where they will be safer.

All of New Hampshire - except the very northern tip - is in an "abnormally dry" state  [Ref:  NOAA] and the ground is already is already quite parched.  We did get one short downpour on Thursday afternoon, but it blew over quickly a left a nice evening on the lake.  There's been a single loon hanging around in Marion Cove on Lake Wicwas quite a bit lately, and I assumed it was the rogue loon that has been spending time here the past several years.  In the late afternoon following that brief shower the loon was here again; since the evening had calmed down nicely I went out for a paddle to enjoy the sights.

Rain drops bead up on the lily pads.

Larger Blue Flag (Iris versicolor), native to New England, is blooming widely around the lakes.

When I returned the single loon was still in the cove, preening.  I stopped and watched for a few minutes, taking some pictures in the soft post-storm light, and only after I looked at the pictures did I realize this bird had a band - a white band with what appeared to be a black dot - it was the male from the Bryant Island nest!

I wouldn't have been sure that was really a band if it hadn't appeared in several pictures.

I guess he was out for a long evening fishing trip - the loon equivalent of getting out of the house for a few hours?