Migrants Brighten Up Cloudy Morning

Following a reasonably productive early evening trundle around the Government House grounds yesterday (2 Hammond's flycatcher, 2 yellow warbler, 1 Wilson's warbler, 3 orange-crowned warbler) I decided to head there this morning. Following another overcast night, I was hopeful that a few grounded migrants might be discovered.

And I wasn't to be disappointed.
Within a few minutes of arriving I heard, and then saw my first varied thrush of the fall - it was loosely associating with a small group of American robins.
Common, resident birds seemed to be curiously notable by their absence, as I made my way along the paths.
The next thing that caught my eye was a Townsend's solitaire, sat on a snag.

It was a bit of a distance away, but I managed a shot before it flew up to the top of a conifer.
Once here, it seemed to irritate the local red-breasted nuthatches and Anna's hummingbirds, who all got very vocal and excited (pictured terribly below).

I couldn't find any of the roving bushtit flocks this morning, so I didn't come across any warblers. Other than a skulking Lincoln's sparrow, a Pacific-slope flycatcher and a couple of passing ravens that caused chaos among the northwestern crows, the remainder of my search was unproductive.
And it started out so well!
 

Solitaire's Not The Only Bird In Town

This morning's amble around the grounds of Victoria's Government House was pretty interesting. One of the first birds I saw was a Townsend's solitaire, as it flew across the path into the area of garry oaks on the south side of the grounds. It was quite active for a while flycatching from an oak. As I watched it, my eye was caught by another bird close by. It was an olive-sided flycatcher. Hmm - things were looking pretty promising!
The duration of my visit however, was pretty uneventful and other than around 5 Wilson's warblers and a Lincoln's sparrow the birding was quiet.
Until I heard a strange call (mind you, maany call's are pretty strange to me over here...).
Looking up, I eventually located a flycatcher. It was a pretty drab thing - brownish overall, with concolourous greyish throat and underparts, discernible but pale wing-bars, long notched tail, largish bicloured bill, weak eye-ring - stronger at the front and back of the eye. A bit of a crest, but not much of one. Western wood pewee was my first thought.
Its call (song?) was particularly striking, a resonant 'liquid' call I wrote down as; disyllabic 'schpil-ip' followed by a monosyllabic 'schlip'. Listening to recordings once I got home, I have to say I'm none the wiser!  Troubled by this, I returned with my recorder and 'scope in an effort to relocate the bird. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it. I'm sure it was probably something really obvious. If anyone can decipher my garbled description, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts!

* Empid Update
Chris Saunders contacted me to suggest I listen to the song of Hammond's flycatcher. I did, and - problem solved! I think I discounted this species on my incorrect assessment of the bird having a largish bill and long tail, two things that Hammond's shouldn't have. I've only previously heard Hammond's call - a high, sharp note - and I didn't recognise this sound as a song, which it was. These empids are great for taxing the brain!
Thanks to Chris for the tip-off.

Neat Townsend's...

Following three rather hectic but extremely enjoyable evenings (The Pixies on Thursday, and Olympic-qualifying ale swilling on Friday and Saturday nights) I needed a bit of a lie-in this morning.
Rising just after 8am, I just got on with work. By midday Jenny and I decided a stroll down to Thrifty was in order and we trolled off, finding it pleasantly mild and overcast.

Townsend's Solitaire - no, really...

On our way back, we came eye-to-eye with a Townsend's solitaire on Joan Crescent - it showed exceptionally well, just a couple of metres away from us. It was in the very same garden that the recent cedar waxwing flock had favoured, and the fruiting holly bush was the apparent reason for its current location.
The photo here is pathetic even by my usual poor standards, and is helped even less by the fact that I forgot to take it off black and white mode before shooting. Genius. 
Delighted with this unexpected year-tick we headed home where I was rather surprised to spot a hermit thrush under, then in, the apple tree outside the kitchen window. It then struck me that perhaps I should have been out early...
Half an hour later, and I couldn't concentrate on my work for thinking about what other grounded migrant might be lurking in the neighbourhood. So, I set off to the Government House grounds in search of avian delights.
Now, by this time it was mid-afternoon and quite possibly the worst time of the day for finding birds. Add to that the Crufts-esque parade, the walkers, the cyclists and what-not and my expectations lowered significantly as I set off along the trails. Almost immediately, I located a Hammond's flycatcher and watched it at close quarters as it sallied from the garry oaks just below the car park. 
Along the lower path I caught some movement high up in a tree and was, let's say, a little disappointed to see a female house sparrow busily nipping buds. But then I noticed another bird, and got my first Townsend's warbler for the year, swiftly followed by a second. What cracking birds!
The rest of my amble was comparatively dull, with little else on show. I couldn't help but wonder what I may have encountered had I been down here at 7am...
Oh, and walking back around 3.45pm I was pleased to see that the solitaire was still present in the same spot.