another mountain ID issue: empids
5:07 am
Another ID problem during the fall in the mountains for many years has been Western vs. Hammond’s Flycatcher. Usually, the problem is the bird is a Hammond’s that folks misidentify as a Western. This typically occurs after the first week of Oct through about mid-Nov, when Hammond’s actually outnumbers Western in the mountains and is, in fact, THE most likely empid there at that time. The problem arises because Hammond’s in fall are in fresh plumage (unlike the other empids) and most are heavily washed with yellowish below. BUT, during the past two weeks, with all the heavy birder visitation in the mountains, the opposite problem has been occurring, with several reports (with photos) of “Hammond’s” that were, in fact, Westerns. (Thanks to Ryan Terrill for pointing some of these out.)
Before reporting either of these species from the mountains during the remainder of this fall, please study how to tell these two species apart. One place to start is: https://sandiegofieldornithologists.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/The-Skimmer-Volume-53-Number-5-May-2026-FEATURE-Empids.pdf
But be aware that many of these fresh, fall Hammond’s are even yellower below than most photos in this article, for example.
–Paul Lehman, San Diego