A NUTTING'S FLYCATCHER IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
photos & text © 2003 Rita Carratello & Don Roberson


This interesting Mexican flycatcher was found in the backyard of Rick and Barbara Linzer in Santa Cruz on 1 Jan 2003 by Michelle Scott. As I understand the story, it was thought to be a rare Myiarchus, possibly a Dusky-capped Flycatcher M. tuberculifer; Steve Gerow and Madeline Spencer went the next day to confirm the identification. Steve Gerow took some excellent field notes and noted a number of problems for Dusky-capped Flycatcher, including a wheet call, paler-edged secondaries than the rusty-edged primaries, the tail pattern, and the fact that the bird was eating olives. After an email exchange that evening, arrangements were made for a few of us (Gerow, David Suddjian, Joe Morlan, Robbie Fischer, Dan Singer, Rita Carratello and me) to visit the private residence the next morning (3 Jan) to follow up on the possibility this might be a Nutting's Flycatcher M. nuttingi. This is what it proved to be; primary credit, then, should go to Michelle Scott and Steve Gerow.

The bird appeared briefly at 8:30 a.m. on 3 Jan (before Rita and I arrived) and did not reappear until 12:30 p.m., by which time Steve and David had left. Once the flycatcher reappeared in its favorite olive tree, though, we were able to study it off and on over the next half-hour, and obtain excellent views and many photographs and video. We were able to meet with Rick Linzer, the homeowner at 1425 Laurel where the bird was first found, and make arrangements for future visitors. The bird eventually crossed the street for additional close views, before flying off on an apparent circuit elsewhere in the residential neighborhood. Some key points noted were:

Most of us had experience with Nutting's Flycatcher in Mason Regional Park, Orange County, in winter 2001-2002. Details about that first California record are on Joe Morlan's web site, and elsewhere on this site. Some also had experience with another Nutting's Flycatcher in southern Arizona in winter 1997-1998. Details of these records had been reviewed before our visit on 3 January, and once the foregoing points were noted, the identification as Nutting's Flycatcher was established to our satisfaction.

Below are three stills from Rita's video that were posted the first evening. They show some (but not all) of the useful characters for identification.

I now have my slides back (upper right shot on this page, and those following, all © 2003 Don Roberson). These next two shots show many of the key identification points for Nutting's Flycatcher, including the tail pattern with the rusty inner web extending to the tip (left). The full-frame shot (right) shows well some details of the upperwing coverts but note that in this pose the tertials are held drooping and covering the key 'mid-panel' character.

In the following two photos, however, one at very close range and the other at a distance, the lemon-yellow edges to the outer secondaries form a contrasting 'mid-panel' between the rusty-edged primaries and the whitish-edged tertials and inner secondaries:

Nutting's Flycatcher is found from central Sonora, Mexico, south to northwestern Costa Rica (AOU Check-list, 7th ed.). It is generally considered primarily a Mexican species and had been thought to be resident, although obviously there is some movement that is not yet well understood. There are three previous records for the United States:

This Santa Cruz County bird is thus the second for California, and the first for northern California. It surely must be considered a surprise this far north.

We are grateful to those who reported this interesting bird, and to the homeowners Rick & Barbara Linzer. Additional details and excellent photos are available on Joe Morlan's web page for this bird, and he has links there to yet other photographic documentation.

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Page created 3 Jan 2003, updated 6 Jan 2003