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With Blake Mann

Tropical Kingbird near Rondeau Park

Tuesday, November 5, 2002

On the evening of October 28, I received a message of a rare bird north of Erieau. It mentioned a Tropical/Couch's Kingbird (a type of flycatcher) that had been reported by local birders Tony Van Eerd and Irene Woods in mid afternoon. The two kingbirds (Tropical & Couch's) are almost identical (see attached photo of a Tropical) and are seen in the very SW corner of the United States. Between them, their call notes are different, and some subtle differences in appearance are evident. The Couch's tends to be a little more widespread. There had never been a definite record of a Tropical Kingbird in Ontario before. A flycatcher near Thunder Bay in September 1998 was never pinpointed to species, and was recorded only as a Tropical/Couch's Kingbird by the Ontario Bird Records Committee.
I arrived at the sighting location (end of Lagoon Road SW of Blenheim) at daybreak with several birdwatchers following in behind me. There was a strong cold NE wind blowing and waiting for the bird's appearance was uncomfortable. Just before 08:00, someone spotted the bird as it landed on a hydro wire not far from our location. It stayed there only very briefly and flew over to a tree. It was seen for brief moments on various other perches before it would disappear time and time again. It was seen throughout the day, until just before dark. Some birders heard it calling, confirming that it was indeed a Tropical Kingbird. The call, a fast twittering pip-pip-pip-pip, is different than that of the Couch's.
Apparently the southern visitor had been seen by a couple of birders on Saturday the 26th. They were unsure of identification, and did not pursue it any further. Also, one of the residents there had seen the strange, yellow-bellied bird on Sunday the 27th in his front yard.
In the next few days, hundreds of birders from all over came to see and photograph this rare visitor. It has undoubtedly been the "best" bird to show up in Ontario in many, many years.
I also spent Saturday (Nov. 2) morning viewing the bird. Many birders who could not make it there during the week were present to catch glimpses. It was a good time for socializing, as you meet many friendly people with similar interests. Familiar faces always turn up at rare birds, making it a reunion of sorts.
The Tropical Kingbird is about 24 cm in length, and is found mainly in western Mexico and Central America. It uncommonly gets into SE Arizona and possibly Texas, and is a regular fall vagrant along the west coast up to British Columbia.
The Tropical Kingbird was still present at time of this writing (Nov.3). To view a photo of this bird, go to the Ontario Field Ornithologist's website at HYPERLINK "http://www.ofo.ca"; www.ofo.ca
Autumn is always a good time to find rare flycatchers, as some tend to wander or get blown off course. Many "southern" flycatchers have ended up in southern Ontario in the fall. The last big rarity in the immediate area was a Vermilion Flycatcher (immature male) at the St. Clair National Wildlife Area in November 1994. It stayed a whole month for most birdwatchers to see.
At the time of this writing, there is a report of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at the Fingal Wildlife Area near St. Thomas. Should I go??
Yes, of course I went! I had beautiful looks on Sunday morning of this “life” bird.