I Find a Fall Rarity!

Just as I was about to enter the park at 79th street and 5th avenue on Friday, I spotted a weird looking bird silhouette fly across the street into a tree. When I put my binoculars on it, I was shocked. It was a big flycatcher with yellow on its belly, something that should be hundreds of miles away! I only had the bird in my sights for a few minutes, so I didn't see enough details to identify it. Plumages can also vary, leading to misidentifications. I think this bird was most likely a GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, with some chance of it also being a WESTERN KINGBIRD as well as the minute chance of it being other 'western' kingbirds or Ash-Throated Flycatcher. I later learned that someone else had seen it around the same time and also thought it looked like a Great Crested Flycatcher. Since I can't identify it, I'll put it in the possible section of my year list. Anyway, after that, I went to search for a late AMERICAN REDSTART that had been reported. It was almost too easy. As soon as I arrived near Evodia Field, I started hearing chipping which definitely came from the bird. A bit of direction from some of the 'Great Horned Owl' watchers (yes, that's a thing now) led me straight to the bird, which was flycatching right at eye level. As I watched the redstart, a GRAY CATBIRD came into view in the stream, a great surprise. Then I joined the owl watchers and waited for the owl to fly out, which it did around 5 pm.