The Flickr Copetóncenizo Image Generatr

Sobrante Ridge Regional Preserve, Richmond, Contra Costa County, California

"Birds pay a price for the advantages of flight. They must commit their forelimbs almost entirely to that enterprise. As a result the bill (or “beak”) often must assume responsibility for diverse functions for which many mammals use their forelimbs—grasping, carrying, scratching, fighting, and digging.

The bill consists of the upper and lower jaws (mandibles), ensheathed in a layer of toughened skin. As tools, bills are not used just for eating food, but also for catching it. Have you ever watched a perched bird launch itself, and after a few quick flaps of its wings, seize an insect in mid-air, and then, holding its catch firmly in its bill, loop back to the same or another close-by perch? This is the “art of flycatching.”

Flycatchers have ligaments connecting the upper and lower jaws that act as springs to snap the gaped jaw shut when an insect is snared."
friendsofedgewood.org

Sobrante Ridge Regional Preserve, Richmond, Contra Costa County, California

Sobrante Ridge Regional Preserve, Richmond, Contra Costa County, California

"While the burning of desert riparian vegetation has negative effects on many bird species, Ash-throated Flycatchers may actually benefit. Smith et al. (2007) found that Ash-throated Flycatchers responded positively in recently burned desert riparian habitats, possibly because of increased cavity availability and abundant food from fire-induced insect hatches. Response to fire in California oak woodland was also positive (Purcell and Stephens 2005). There has not been sufficient study to determine whether fire might be beneficial or detrimental throughout its entire range. Smith, et al. note that proper post-fire management (such as leaving burnt snags standing) is an important factor if fires are to improve habitat."
prbo.org
Our recent fires have changed our landscapes. Trees stand tall without leaves or charred black in some areas. The ATFL seem to love it.

"This pale flycatcher is common and widespread in arid country of the west. Like its close relatives, it nests in holes in trees. However, because it lives in dry terrain where trees are often small or scarce, it will resort to other sites; nests have been found in such odd places as exhaust pipes, hollow fence posts, mailboxes, and even in trousers hanging on a clothesline."
audubon.org

Mitchell Canyon Fire Road, Mt. Diablo State Park, Clayton, California

"This genteel flycatcher tips its head side to side with seeming curiosity while perched among low oaks and mesquite trees. It is a die-hard bird of dry places that doesn't need to drink water; it gets all it needs from the insects and spiders it eats." allaboutboids
ebird.org/view/checklist/S54703296

W9 spotted this handsome flycatcher just as we were packing it in to head home....and then there were two.
I couldn't get close enough to get that crispy crunchy detail I crave. But I do love a good bird hairdo.
"With its pale lemon belly and cinnamon tail, the Ash-throated Flycatcher is reminiscent of a desert just before sunset. Its subtle hues help it blend into its surroundings, but notes sputter out of its mouth all morning long, giving away its location. This genteel flycatcher tips its head side to side with seeming curiosity while perched among low oaks and mesquite trees." allaboutboids

Myiarchus cinerascens
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Graukehltyrann
Copetón Cenizo
Сероголовый желтобрюхий тиранн

Merci pour vos commentaires - Thank you for your comments

Myiarchus cinerascens
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Graukehltyrann
Copetón Cenizo
Сероголовый желтобрюхий тиранн

Merci pour vos commentaires - Thank you for your comments

Myiarchus cinerascens
Ash-throated Flycatcher

Merci pour vos commentaires - Thank you for your comments

Myiarchus cinerascens
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Graukehltyrann
Copetón Cenizo
Сероголовый желтобрюхий тиранн

Merci pour vos commentaires - Thank you for your comments

En la hora dorada de la mañana

Myiarchus cinerascens
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Graukehltyrann
Copetón Cenizo
Сероголовый желтобрюхий тиранн

Merci pour vos commentaires - Thank you for your comments

Myiarchus cinerascens
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Graukehltyrann
Copetón Cenizo
Сероголовый желтобрюхий тиранн

Merci pour vos commentaires - Thank you for your comments

The light was harsh and direct but I did not want to pass on the opportunity to add this species to my collection. I saw this ash-throated flycatcher while hiking the Madera Canyon Trail, a Nature Conservancy site, in the Davis Mountains, Texas

La laz era muy fuerte y directa pero no quería perder la oportunidad de agregar esta especie a mi colección. El copetón cenizo, lo vi en una caminata en el Sendero Cañón Madera, un área del Nature Conservancy en las Montañas Davis, Texas.

The light was harsh and direct but I did not want to pass on the opportunity to add this species to my collection. I saw this ash-throated flycatcher while hiking the Madera Canyon Trail, a Nature Conservancy site, in the Davis Mountains, Texas

La laz era muy fuerte y directa pero no quería perder la oportunidad de agregar esta especie a mi colección. El copetón cenizo, lo vi en una caminata en el Sendero Cañón Madera, un área del Nature Conservancy en las Montañas Davis, Texas.

The light was harsh and direct but I did not want to pass on the opportunity to add this species to my collection. I saw this ash-throated flycatcher while hiking the Madera Canyon Trail, a Nature Conservancy site, in the Davis Mountains, Texas

La laz era muy fuerte y directa pero no quería perder la oportunidad de agregar esta especie a mi colección. El copetón cenizo, lo vi en una caminata en el Sendero Cañón Madera, un área del Nature Conservancy en las Montañas Davis, Texas.