São Miguel, Azores: 9-13 June

Arrived on São Miguel in the Azores late on the 8th June for a few days chilling before joining An Introduction to the Natural History of the Azores tour, run by an Azores Nature. Spent the first three days pottering in and around the city of Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores, visiting the tourist sites and making numerous coffee and caipirinha stops, as well as squeezing in a little birding.

The pre-tour avian highlight was a Common Cuckoo heard singing in misty conditions for about a minute or two at the east end of Rua João de Lemos, just west of Relva, on 11th. Apparently only the 11th record for the Azores and the 1st for São Miguel, this made the fact that Sue Healey and I only heard it, and couldn't locate it in an hour and a half of searching, very frustrating.

Also caught up with many of the Azorean endemic subspecies - Chaffinch, Eurasian Blackcap, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Common Quail, Common Starling, Grey Wagtail, Common Buzzard and Yellow-legged Gull. Although not currently considered a subspecies, the local European Robins look more different than some of the other subspecies.

The tour itself started on the 12th with a visit to native laurel forest (Laurissilva) on the east side of the island in search of the Azores Bullfinch. Saw at least 13 birds and heard another (although this is a very conservative count and we probably saw a lot more than this), with a nice flock of 7+ birds feeding together at close range in the mist near Pico do Canário.

Azores Bullfinch Pyrrhula murina, near Pico do Canário, 12 June 2016. This bird was feeding on the seeds of the introduced Pink
Knotweed Persicaria capitata.

Azores Bullfinch Pyrrhula murina, near Pico do Canário, 12 June 2016. This bird was feeding on the seeds of the introduced Pink
Knotweed Persicaria capitata.

The Azores Bullfinch was once so common that it was considered a pest by fruit growers, and along with several other bird species, the government placed a bounty on the head of every bullfinch during the 19th century. But since the 1920s both their numbers and range have reduced to a tiny remnant population of approximately 1000 birds today. Collection for museums has been a significant contributor to their decline. However, the main cause has been the removal of the native floral habitat for pasture and agriculture, as well as the planting of non-native plants, particularly Japanese Cedar Cryptomeria japonica (used for boxes to export oranges), Sweet Pittosporum Pittosporum undulatum (which is now covering 49% of the forested area in the Azores) and Kahli Ginger Lily Hedychium gardnerianum, that together form a vegetation cover far too dense for the Azores Bullfinch feeding habits.

Conservation efforts are concentrating on removing non-native invasive plants along with growing and replanting native species to restore the native laurel forest, although some non-invasive non-native plants that the bullfinches feed on, such as Pink Knotweed Persicaria capitata are allowed to persist. After seeing several bullfinches along the road, we an area within the Pico da Vara/Ribeira do Guilherme Special Protection Area (SPA) and saw how the Laurissilva is slowly being restored by the Sustainable Laurassilva Project specifically for the Azores Bullfinch (and funded by the European Commission LIFE fund I might add - money well spent if you ask me). There's an interesting paper on the history of the Azores Bullfinch here.

Also here we I managed to find a few Azorean Smaller Orchid Platanthera micrantha - an indicator that the natural vegetation is recovering.

Azorean Smaller Orchid Platanthera micrantha, 12 June 2016

On the 13th we took a tour to find out about the geology of the Azores, visiting a number of dramatic geological features including the Caldeira das Sete Cidades, the Gruta do Carvão lava tube in Ponta Delgada, the excavated fountain at Ribeira Grande and the hot springs at Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande.

Male Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs of Azorean subspecies moreletti, at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul), 13 June 2016

Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla, of Azorean subspecies gularis, José do Canto Botanical Garden, 10 June 2016

European Robin Erithacus rubecula, just west of Relva, 11 June 2016. Robins on the Azores are not considered a
subspecies but I've no idea why - for starters, note the lack of blueish border to the side of the red breast.

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus, Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul), 12 June 2016 - a vagrant to the Azores

Iberian Water Frog Pelophylax perezi, José do Canto Botanical Garden, 10 June 2016 - introduced to the Azores

Clouded Yellow Colias croceus, Sete Cidades (Lagoa Azul), São Miguel, 13 June 2016

Notebook entries

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus: 1 at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul) on 13th.
Common Moorhen: 3 at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul) on 13th.
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra: 2-3 at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul) on 13th.
Common (Azores) Quail Coturnix coturnix conturbans: 2m seen in flight (and about another 3 heard) over fields at the east end of Rua João de Lemos, just west of Relva on 11th, 2H by the picnic area along Rua João de Lemos, just west of Relva on 12th.
Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea borealis: Thousands in rafts offshore just west of Relva in the evening of 12th.
Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis atlantis: Seen daily. Several around Ponta Delgada harbour on 9th, 2ad. at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul) on 13th.
Common Tern Sterna hirundo: 2+ in Ponta Delgada harbour on 9th.
Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii: 3+ at a breeding site with many Common Tern on 12th.
Azores Bullfinch Pyrrhula murina: c. 14(1H) on 12th, including 7-9 watched and photographed feeding together in misty conditions along the road near Pico do Canário.
Grey Heron: 1 beside the road near Ponta Delgada on 12th, 2 over Caldeira das Sete Cidades on 13th.
Goldcrest Regulus regulus azoricus: 1+ seen briefly at the Sustainable Laurassilva Project site on 12th, and another seen briefly near Planalto dos Graminhais on 12th.
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo rothschildi: 1 over José do Canto Botanical Garden on 10th, 1 along Rua João de Lemos, just west of Relva on 11th, 2 along track to Rocha da Relva on 11th, 1 Rua João de Lemos, just west of Relva on 12th, 3+ at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul) on 13th, 1 very pale bird S over King's View (Vista do Rei) on 13th.
Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus: 1m heard singing in misty conditions for about a minute or two at the east end of Rua João de Lemos, just west of Relva, on 11th (looked for again on 12th but no sign).
Woodpigeon Columba palumbus azorica: 1 at José do Canto Botanical Garden, Ponta Delgada on 10th, 1 at Beco Jardim António Borges, Ponta Delgada on 10th, a few along the track to Rocha da Relva on 11th.
Feral Pigeon Columba livia: Common. Many around Ponta Delgada on 9th, many on the cliffs near Rocha da Relva on 11th.
Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea patriciae: 1m at José do Canto Botanical Garden, Ponta Delgada on 10th, 1m near a nest near Planalto dos Graminhais on 12th.
Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla gularis: Common with singing males even in small isolated bottlebrush trees along the sea front in Ponta Delgada. Several males seen very well at José do Canto Botanical Garden on 10th, where also the only female of the trip was seen.
Blackbird Turdus merula azorensis: Common. 1f feeding a recently fledged juvenile at the University of the Azores Ponta Delgada campus on 10th, several males and a female at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul) on 13th (including one possibly nesting under the decking outside the cafe).
European Robin Erithacus rubecula: 3 at José do Canto Botanical Garden on 10th, 1 at Beco Jardim António Borges, Ponta Delgada on 10th, 2 just west of Relva on 11th, 1 juv. along track to Rocha da Relva on 11th, 1 at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul) on 13th.
Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs moreletti: Common (except in towns). 2(1H) at José do Canto Botanical Garden, Ponta Delgada on 9th, 1 just west of Relva on 11th, 1m at the Furnas viewpoint just west of the M521/M1042 junction on 12th, and several along the M1042 from the M521 to the bullfinch site near Pico do Canário on 12th. Many very tame birds (both sexes) at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul) on 13th.
Atlantic Canary Serinus canaria: An abundant Macronesian endemic. Good views of 3m and 1f at José do Canto Botanical Garden on 10th, lots just west of Relva on 11th.
European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis: 1H along track to Rocha da Relva on 11th, 2 along the EN9-1A about midway between Sete Cidades and the King's View (Vista do Rei) on 13th.
House Sparrow Passer domesticus: Abundant. Everywhere in Ponta Delgada and seen daily. Also lots around the cliffs along track to Rocha da Relva on 11th. Amazing that they were only introduced (to Terceira) in 1960-61!
Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild: 1 at the Sustainable Laurassilva Project site on 12th, 2 at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul) on 13th.
Azores Grayling Hipparchia azorina: 1 of the São Miguel subspecies miguelensis seen and photographed near Planalto dos Graminhais on 12th.
Clouded Yellow Colias croceus: Fairly common. Several at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul) on 13th.
Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta: 1 beside track near Rocha da Relva on 11th.
Red-veined Darter Sympetrum fonscolombii: Several at Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagos Azul) on 13th.
Iberian Water Frog Pelophylax perezi: 4+ at José do Canto Botanical Garden, Ponta Delgada on 10th.
Madeira Wall Lizard Teira dugesii: An abundant introduction. Good numbers on stone walls along the track to Rocha da Relva on 11th.
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus: 4+ scoped heading west just offshore just west of Relva on 12th.
Azorean Smaller Orchid Platanthera micrantha: Several at the Sustainable Laurassilva Project site on 12th.

Staines Moor Black Stork accepted

Heard today via Twitter that my Black Stork over Staines Moor on 18th September has been accepted by The 10 Rare Men. Just in time for Crimbo - super!

#BBRCdecision :Ref No 6004 Accepted-Black Stork 18-Sep-15 Staines Moor,Surrey

— TheBBRC (@_BBRC) December 24, 2015

Dream patch bird becomes a reality: 18 September

The birding on Staines Moor today was just bonkers! Good numbers of grounded migrants, a strong passage overhead, two previously found scarce migrants to look for, and a once in a lifetime BBRC-CAT A find and patch first.

At 15:08 I was searching the hawthorns and brambles near The Butts for the Wryneck when I noticed a large dark shape moving slowly west high over the center of the moor - "what the f*** is that?". Before I'd even raised my bins I knew from the size and shape that it was a stork and I had a strong suspicion which species - BLACK STORK!! The camera was already on my 'bird in flight' custom setting so I hurriedly took a few photos before running full speed southwards across the anthills, proper loon-style, with tripod, scope, camera, binoculars and rucksack flailing around while yelling Black Stork at the top of my voice to alert the two birders around the scrub nearby on the west side. The stork veered south-westwards away from me but I managed to get one birder onto it before it disappeared from sight.

This individual appears to be a juvenile - when I zoom in on the images the legs and bill appear to lack any bright red, and the neck (especially the base) seems to be brown rather than black. However, this could be an effect of distance and harsh sunlight? If accepted this will be the sixth record for London, following a juvenile at Sevenoaks Wildfowl Reserve on 4 August 2010¹, and the third for Surrey.

Black Stork over Staines Moor, 18 September 2015

Black Stork over Staines Moor heading off WSW over the pylons

This zoomed-in pixelated image shows the dark brownish bill, dark legs and brownish neck which ages this bird as a juvenile.

Grounded migrants noted today included the Wryneck (which I managed to see well near dusk in the NW corner), 3(2m, 1f) Stonechat, (NW corner), 7 Whinchat (NW corner), 1 1st-W Northern Wheatear (W side), 14 Yellow Wagtail around the livestock, 1 Lesser Whitethroat (NW corner), 3 Common Whitethroat (NW corner), 1m Blackcap (old railway), 4(1H) Common Chiffchaff, c47 Meadow Pipit, 9+ Skylark, and an influx of Robin, and I didn't even manage to look at the east side.

Stonechat passage peaks later than Whinchat. Three were present today including this female

A strong passage of hirundines, mostly in the morning, probably numbered in the thousands for Barn Swallow and House Martin, but I counted a minimum of 329 Barn Swallow (SWS), 125 House Martin SW and 31 Sand Martin SW, along with 12(1H) Siskin S, 1 Yellow Wagtail S (dropping down to the livestock), 2 1st-W Hobby, 2 Red Kite SW and 1 Common Buzzard W.

Also noted: 1 imm. Green Woodpecker (evidence of successful nesting), 1m Kingfisher near dusk (Colne), 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker (River Wraysbury), another Common Buzzard (probably one of the resident individuals), 2 Reed Bunting, 1 Little Egret (Colne), Grey Heron, 1+ Kestrel, and Goldfinch flock in the SW corner numbered at least 258. Invertebrates included 1 Comma, and 3 Small Heath. Lots of interesting fungi noted, but more about these another time.

¹ Self, A. (2014) The Birds of London. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Pagham Harbour RSPB: 28 June

Twitched the Hudsonian Whimbrel at Church Norton. Figured most people would have seen it by now, and at one point I was watching this tenth for Britain on my own. A striking bird once you got your eye in - the pale ground colour on the head created much more contrasting eye-stripes and crown strips, looking almost black and white at times, and the pink basal half to the lower mandible was very bright (after the bird had spent some time bathing). To me the markings appeared finer than those on Eurasian Whimbrel and the bird had colder tone overall. In flight the secondaries and secondary coverts were noticeably pale, contrasting with the darker primaries and primary coverts. Oh, and the dark rump of course. Structurally it appeared longer billed than the two Eurasian Whimbrels but had the same bend at the distal third.

Watched it for a few hours - great scope views but just out of DSLR range. It was finding a lot of food - mainly crabs, which it caught and took to a patch of water to clean before breaking off the limbs and swallowing. Also watched preening for a while. It didn't associate with the 2 Eurasian Whimbrels present and in the evening at high tide it roosted alone.

Poor record shots of Britain's tenth Hudsonian Whimbrel, Pagham Harbour, 28 June

Also in the harbour: 2 Eurasian Whimbrel, 11+ Eurasian Curlew (including a leucistic individual), 25 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Grey Plover, 11 Northern Lapwing, 4 Ringed Plover, 3 Dunlin, 12 Oystercatcher, 1 ad. Great Crested Grebe, 7+ Little Egret, 8 Shelduck, 1+ Little Tern (as the tide came in) and 2+ Common Tern. Around Church Norton and along the west side 3 Sand Martin, several Barn Swallow, 1-4 Linnet, 1H Reed Warbler, 1f Greenfinch and 2 Common Swift were also logged. A tatty Painted Lady and a Garden Tiger Arctia caja caterpillar were also seen.

Today's leucistic Eurasian Curlew at four or five times the distance of the Hudsonian Whimbrel, hence the even worse pic. Still, I've
never seen one of these before so it deserves a place on the blog.

At Sidlesham Ferry Pool late evening: 1 ad. summer Spotted Redshank, 3 Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 26 Black-tailed Godwit, 22 Avocet, 7 Shelduck, 1 Eurasian Teal and a Kestrel.

Titchfield Haven NNR: 12 June

Decided on an impromptu visit to Titchfield Have in Hampshire today instead of another slog around the patch. Spent an hour or so mid morning watching the adult Greater Yellowlegs showing well, though a little distantly, feeding and roosting on Posbrook Flood, before it flew south with a group of Black-tailed Godwits. Also at Posbrook Flood were 1 Green Sandpiper, 150 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Northern Lapwing, 2 juv Pied Wagtail, 1 Common Cuckoo, 2H Cetti's Warbler, 1H Reed Bunting, 14+ House Martin and a few Barn Swallow.

Greater Yellowlegs at a distance on Posbrook Flood this morning. Way out of DSLR range, I thought I'd try some phone-scoping. Well,
I'm crap at it - no amount of sharpening is going to improve these (taken with Samsung Note 4 through a Swarovski STS 65HD and
20-60x zoom eyepiece)!

Noted on the reserve itself were 3 (2 ad, 1 2nd-summer) Mediterranean Gull, 4 (3H) Cetti's Warbler, 4+ Little Egret, 1 Grey Heron swallowing a ridiculously huge eel, 70+ Black-tailed Godwit, c 20 Avocet (including c 10 juvs and at least 3 adults on nests), 2-3 Oystercatcher, 2 (1m, 1f) Northern Shoveler, 1H Common Cuckoo and 2 Linnet. Later in the afternoon the Greater Yellowlegs was seen on the reserve, this time on the River Meon from the Suffern Hide.

Spent some time searching for bugs along the Scrapes Trail, the best of which were 2 Painted Lady, 1 Large Skipper, 1 White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, and a few Blue-tailed Damselflies. An approachable Red Fox was also watched along this trail.

One of two Painted Lady butterflies along the path at Titchfield Haven NNR

A very fresh Large Skipper at Titchfield Haven NNR - my first of the year

Large Skipper

Male Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans

Out of range Cinereous Ground-tyrant

It's always nice to find a surprise while sorting through old photos. I've been looking through hundreds of photos from a year travelling around South America in 2006, and came across a whole bunch of images of ground-tyrants (terrestrial tyrant-flycatchers - think of flycatchers that look and behave like wheatears) taken during a memorable day watching Andean Condors up at 1950 metres in the Argentine Andes, at the ski resort of Cerro Catedral in Nahuel Huapi National Park. The most common species here was White-browed Ground-Tyrant Muscisaxicola albilora followed by Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant Muscisaxicola flavinucha, but I also found several images taken of a very different looking bird that I couldn't put a name to at the time and intended to identify at a later date. Well, better late than never!

The most striking thing about this bird is how plain it looks, being uniform grey above with brownish black wings and tail and plain whitish grey below. The lack of either a rufous or ochre crown patch (found in the other species found in this area), very faint pale grey supercilium, plain grey forehead and fine bill suggest Cinereous Ground-tyrant Muscisaxicola cinereus, but Cerro Catedral is well outside the range of this species. Juvenile Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant usually have no ochre occipital patch and would therefore look similar, but this species can be ruled out by its larger size, white forehead, lores and supercilium, and much longer primaries that almost reach the tip of the tail. This bird was also sticking to the rocky boulders near the top of the ridge rather than grassy areas slightly lower down preferred by the other species.

Cinereous Ground-tyrant Muscisaxicola cinereus, Cerro Catedral, Nahuel Huapi
National Park, Argentina, November 2006. This bird was about 470 km south of
the most southerly limit of it's range. Is this simply an overshooting spring
migrant or are they extending their range southwards?

White-browed Ground-tyrant Muscisaxicola albilora, Cerro Catedral, Nahuel
Huapi National Park, Argentina, November 2006. The most common species here.
Note the diffuse rufous crown, which is brown in juveniles, the bold white
supercilium and the longer heavier looking bill.

Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant Muscisaxicola flavinucha, Cerro Catedral, Nahuel
Huapi National Park, Argentina, November 2006. The ochre occipital patch is often
absent in juveniles. Note the heavy build, white forehead, lores and supercilum,
and the length of the primaries.

There are 13 species of ground-tyrant, all restricted to the Andes and Tierra del Fuego (mostly at high altitudes) and some are highly migratory. Four species breed in this part of the Andes, but Cinereous Ground-tyrant breeds from southern Peru to central Argentina, as far as 37° S, and so this bird was roughly 470 km south of it's known range. They are migratory at the southern end of their range and so this is probably an overshooting spring migrant. However, Ridgely and Tudor (1994) show this species' range lying another 500 km further north than more recent texts, so either the distribution of this species is now better known, or they are spreading southwards as the Andes becomes warmer. Perhaps this record represents a range extension? It's such a shame I didn't look for any other birds at the time.

Black-backed Water-Tyrant - a new bird for REGUA

On Saturday 12 November 2011, I found a Black-backed Water-Tyrant Fluvicola albiventer at REGUA, a private nature reserve located in the Serra do Mar mountains, in the municipality of Cachoeiras de Macacu, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. A vagrant to RJ state, this is the first record of this species at REGUA.

The bird was seen twice throughout the day, briefly in the morning and then again later in the afternoon. Initially picked up in flight, it landed in a bare dead bush at the water's edge on a small grassy island by post 300 of the Wetland Trail. With previous experience of this species in the Pantanal I knew immediately what it was. Although the bird was distant and remained fairly deep in cover, I managed to take a few record shots that show the key features: black upperparts including the nape and rear crown and black tail, white tips to the greater and medium coverts forming two faint broken white wing bars, a thin white band across the rump, white forehead and forecrown, face and underparts and black eye, bill and legs. After a few minutes it flew off and despite searching for an hour or so I couldn't relocate it.

Late afternoon, while on my way back from mapping a new trail, I refound the bird around the replanted tabebuia trees, just a short distance from the first sighting, and this time I was able to watch it for about 30 minutes. It was quite active, spending most of the time foraging from vegetation overhanging the surface of the water by just a foot or so, and sallying out over the water presumably to catch insects and frequently fanning the tail slightly and flicking it downwards. Unfortunately, it remained distant and tended to perch a little way into the vegetation, which prevented me from getting any good photos.

Black-backed Water-Tyrant, REGUA wetland, 12 November 2011. The tail, wing coverts, secondaries and tertials
are all rather worn - note the lack of any white tips to the tail, very faint white the wing bars and almost absent
white fringes to the tertials (just visible in the photo top right).

There are only two potential confusion species. Pied Water-Tyrant Fluvicola pica (its closest relative and sometimes considered conspecific), is found in northern South America is similar but shows white scapulars, no white wing bars, a completely white rump and white mottling on the mantle. In RJ state, female or immature White-headed Marsh-Tyrant Arundinicola leucocephala are superficially similar at first glance, but are easily separated by their slightly smaller size, more upright stance, much less contrasting demarcation between the grey/black upperparts (with no white on the wing coverts, tertials or secondaries) and greyish white underparts, as well as a largely orange-yellow lower mandible. They also rarely fan their tail.

Black-backed Water-Tyrant, Pantanal, Brazil, August 2006. Note the obvious white
wing bars, white fringes to the tertials and secondaries and tips to the tail.

Female White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, REGUA, November 2011. With poor or brief
views this is the only potential confusion species in RJ state, but note the greyish
mottling on the white underparts, the diffuse border between the underparts and
the pale grey on the crown, nape, mantle and edges to the scapulars and
orange-yellow on the lower mandible.

Black-backed Water-Tyrant is distributed throughout eastern South America, mainly in central and eastern Brazil south to northern Minas Gerias and north-west São Paulo states, as well as locally into eastern Bolivia, Paraquay, north-east Argentina and south-west Uruguay (click here for a map). It is resident throughout much of its range, but in the austral winter some migrate westwards into western Amazonia (western Brazil, north-west Bolivia, extreme southern Columbia, eastern Ecuador and eastern Peru). The nearest populations to REGUA are found approximately 600 km away, either to the north in northern Minas Gerais or to the west in central São Paulo state.

So is this a late overshooting spring migrant from Amazonia? Ricardo Gagliardi maintains the official RJ state bird list and he informs me that Black-backed Water-Tyrant is in fact spreading south into RJ state (a paper is currently in preparation) and there have been several recent sightings in the north of the state. However, he is surprised the species has already reached as far south as REGUA and writes that this record "indicates a continuity in the process of colonization of new areas for the species". The bird was still present the next day but hasn't been seen since.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Ricardo Gagliardi for kindly providing information regarding the status of the species in RJ state, and to Eric DeFonso for taking the time to find the bird the following day.

Austral migrant tyrant-flycatchers

During the austral spring (September and October), large numbers of migratory birds arrive in the Atlantic Forest and across southern South America to breed. Avian migration in South America is very poorly understood compared to many other parts of the world, with seasonal distribution and migration routes unclear for many species. However, some species, particularly some tyrant-flycatchers, are known to migrate very long distances, and a few are potential vagrants to North America and perhaps beyond.

Several Fork-tailed Flycatchers (photo 1) are currently about on agricultural land around REGUA. There are four races of this stunning bird, and the nominate Tyrannus savana savana is a long distance migrant, breeding in southern South America, mainly south of the Tropic of Capricorn², and spending the austral winter (April to August) in the northern half of the continent, as far north as western Columbia, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago. Fork-tailed Flycatcher occurs almost annually as a vagrant in the US and Canada with over 120 records, mainly in the east and involving 1st winter birds of the nominate race³. Most have occurred as reverse migrants in September and October, when birds wintering in northern South America move south to their breeding grounds, but some have occurred as overshoots in the northern spring when birds are heading north for the austral winter. Incredibly, one even made it to Spain in October 2002³!

Fork-tailed Flycatcher of the nominate form T. s. savana, REGUA, November 2011.
This long distance migrant is recorded almost annually as a vagrant in North
America, and the first record for the Western Palearctic occurred in 2002.

Variegated Flycatcher (photo 2) is also a common summer visitor to the Atlantic Forest and can be seen around the wetland and at forest edge habitats at REGUA at the moment. Widespread throughout South America east of the Andes, nominate Empidonomus varius varius is highly migratory in the southern part of its breeding range, with birds moving as far north as Trinidad, Venezuela and as far west as eastern Colombia and eastern Ecuador for the austral winter. Variegated Flycatcher shows a similar pattern of vagrancy in North America to Fork-tailed Flycatcher, albeit but with far fewer records (Fork-tailed Flycatcher is a very conspicuous species, so maybe Variegated Flycatchers are going unnoticed?) - 3 have been recorded in the US (2 in the east) and 1 in south-east Canada, with all but one recorded between September and November. None have been assigned to race for certain, but a bird in Washington in 2008 showed characteristics of the nominate varius⁴, suggesting migrants from southern South America are involved rather than the nearer but sedentary Mexican population. With Fork-tailed Flycatcher having made it across the Atlantic, could Variegated Flycatcher follow?

Variegated Flycatcher of the highly migratory nominate race E. v. varius, REGUA,
October 2007. Birds breeding in southern South America winter in the far north of
the continent. 4 have so far occurred in North America, including 3 in the east, but
more possibly go unnoticed. The larger size, longer bill and rufous tail separate it
from the similar Piratic Flycatcher.

Piratic Flycatcher is similar to Variegated in appearance, but is smaller with a shorter bill and less rufous tones in the tail and rump. Like Variegated, the nominate L. l. leucophaius is migratory and moves north for the austral winter. Nine had been recorded in North America up until 2009⁴, with one record from eastern US (Florida). Similarly, the local race of Streaked Flycatcher, M. m. solitarius (photo 3), is also highly migratory in the southern end of its range. So far Streaked Flycatcher has not been recorded north of Mexico⁴, but this is one of the most common austral summer migrant tyrant-flycatchers in RJ state, and must be considered a potential vagrant to North America.

Streaked Flycatcher of the migratory race M. m. solitarius, Vale das Taquaras,
November 2007. This common long distance austral migrant is a potential vagrant
to North America and maybe elsewhere.

References

¹ del Hoyo, J., Elliot, A. & Christie, D. (eds.) 2004. Handbook of the Birds of the World, 9. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.
² Erickson, H.T. 1982. Migration of the Fork-tailed Flycatcher through southeastern Brazil. American Birds 36: 136-138.
³ Gutiérrez, R. 2008. The Fork-tailed Flycatcher in Spain - a new Western Palearctic bird. Birding World 21: 325-328.
⁴ Mlodinow, S.G. & Irons, D.S. 2009. First Record of the Variegated Flycatcher for Western North America. Western Birds 40: 47-50.