Posted by David Fix (206.13.45.134) on August 30, 2001 at 16:59:48:
When I looked at these two images, I felt that nothing but the apparent color was wrong for Gray Flycatcher. I could not accept that the images either were of a bird that was in fact not brown, nor did I think images of Gray Flyke looking so brown would be posted without some color correction. I think Phil Pickering has made some good points and, with hindsight, it is hard to bend this bird to anything else (except the true identity, if it's not a Gray Flyke, Duh Dept). Noting that the color of the mullein bloom seemed 'on', it was tough to imagine the color of the bird might be 'off'. Is this bird actually so brown as it appears? With its lanky proportions and frequent perch-to-ground foraging, the Gray has always struck me as bearing a remote resemblance to a solitaire---the only such Empid. I see no pale on the bill, but the great amount of tail, plus the prominent and somewhat centrally-positioned eye are marks I hold in favor of Gray Flyke. One can imagine that this bird is about to drop quickly to the ground...but maybe not. I was unable to commit to an ID upon first looking at it, and though Phil's ID seems right on, I still might have a tough time identifying this bird critically just because of the odd color. Clarification from Joe later?