Taylorsville, Utah
I get flycatchers every spring in my yard during migration. I live in Taylorsville, Utah, in the heart of
the Salt Lake valley. The birds use my tomato cages for perches. Most years I get the Gray Flycatcher,
which usually is all gray, but this year I have this flycatcher which has me very puzzled. I've heard
no noises from it so that is of no help.
This little flycatcher has white or grayish white under the chin which goes quite far back under the cheek.
The Willow Flycatcher has this trait but the head shape and bill are wrong for the Willow (I think). It's not
a tiny flycatcher, but not a large one, either.
What with the eye ring, rounded head, long tail and the pale band that goes completely across the forehead,
I would guess this is a Gray Flycatcher, except that it has so much yellow on the belly. When the bird is at
rest, the tail bobs downward and then comes up, which is another trait of the Gray.
It has round pointed beak that isn't large enough for a Willow Flycatcher and isn't small
enough for a Cordilleran. Anyway, I'm stuck so if someone out there in Internet Land
has a solution to this flycatcher dilemma, let me know (birdbrain@amazingnature.us).
I don't really expect to hear from anyone since I've found through the years that few
people want to venture forth a guess since flycatchers are so hard to ID.
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