Mainland Alaska just got its first Dark-sided Flycatcher (and I believe mainland North America too, but correct me if I'm wrong). Thede Tobish, Nick Hajdukovich, Lisa Oakley, and Luke DeCicco found this Code 4 species at Barrow, Alaska on June 17.
photos by Luke DeCicco
The bird was found near the DEW line site northeast of town (map here). There are signs that this is a restricted area, but DeCicco reports that a person on site said it was OK to bird this area, though they were cautioned to be careful about contanimants. At this time, it's unclear if others should check in before birding this area or if blanket permission was obtained.
To get to this site, drive northeast on Stevenson St. (the road that parallels the Chukchi Sea shoreline) to Dewline Rd. Turn right and continue to its end. The Dark-sided Flycatcher was found at the west end of the two long buildings.
Previous ABA Area records have come from Alaska's islands in the Bering Sea region. There is also a record from Bermuda.
Fantastic bird!
The note about being careful of contaminants made me smile (or grimace); if you haven't read Spencer Schaffner's book about birding the industrial wasteland, have a look: http://blog.aba.org/2011/09/spencer-schaffner-binocular-vision.html
Posted by: Birding Book Reviews | 06/18/2013 at 08:46 AM
Interesting record !
Some photos ( and comparison to Grey-streaked Flycatcher ) here
http://johnjemi.blogspot.hk/2012/11/dark-sided-flycatcher-muscicapa-sibirica.html
Posted by: John Holmes | 06/26/2013 at 12:37 AM