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Subject:

Possible Juv Western Kingbird - Elkton

From:

Marcia Watson-Whitmyre

Reply-To:

Maryland Birds & Birding

Date:

Wed, 22 Sep 2004 20:25:48 -0400

At about 4:15 pm today, I saw what I believe was a juvenile Western
Kingbird at my home in Elkton, Cecil County.  The bird was quite pale,
with a bright white throat and upper chest and bright yellow belly.  Upper
parts were pale grey.  Dark mask on face, wings darker than body with
faint buffy wingbars.  Bill dark, long and chisel-shaped.  Size
approaching a Robin, but not quite that big. (Robins were in the area for
comparison). Definitely bigger than a Phoebe and much paler on the back;
also the belly was much brighter than the yellow on a Phoebe.  Also paler
on the back than an Eastern Kingbird  I was sitting on my deck working on
my laptop when my attention was attracted by the bird flying into a wild
cherry about 100 feet away from me.  Luckily I had my binos at hand and
had a good view of the bird perched, for about 2 min. The bird sat
quietly, no tail-wagging or anything like that. Then the bird flew into a
sumac a little  and could not be found again. As it flew off, it uttered
one high-pitched note that sounded like "ip."

I've seen Western Kingbirds out west many times, but not recently.  I
don't know what else it could have been - nothing around here is that pale
in that size range.

Marcia Watson-Whitmyre, Cecil County