Range. Eastern North America; nests from northern New Jersey (locally) and mountains of West Virginia to Canada; winters in the tropics.
Washington, irregularly common T.V., May 8-May 28; Aug. 16-Sept. 17. Ossining, rare T.V., May 19-May 31; Aug. 29. Cambridge, rare T.V., May 28-June 6; Aug.; occasional in summer.
Traill's Flycatcher (E. t. trailli), a slightly browner bird is the Mississippi Valley form. N. Ohio, common S.R., May 7-Sept. 10. Glen Ellyn, quite common S.R., May 14-Sept. 19. S.E. Minn., common S.R., May 6-Aug. 10.
A rare recluse of the alders who, traveling silently between his summer and his winter homes, makes few friends among men. Dwight describes its call note as "a single pep," and its song as ee-zee-e-up, resembling that of the Acadian. The bird places the nest low down in the crotch of one of the bushes among which it lives and lays 3-4 white, brown-spotted eggs in June.
LEAST FLYCATCHER
Empidonax minimus. [Case 6], Fig. 44
Smallest of the Flycatchers; like the Alder Flycatcher its back is olive-brown rather than olive-green; no evident yellow on the underparts. L. 5½.
Range. Eastern North America; nests from Iowa, Pennsylvania and New Jersey to Canada; winters in the tropics.
Washington, common T.V., Apl. 20-May 20; Aug. 13-Sept. 15. Ossining, tolerably common S.R., Apl. 25-Aug. 26. Cambridge, very common S.R., May 1-Aug. 25. N. Ohio, common T.V. Apl. 15-May 25; Aug. 25-Oct. 1; rare in summer. Glen Ellyn, not common S.R., chiefly T.V., May 4-Sept. 24. SE. Minn., common S.R., Apl. 30-Sept. 13.
A Flycatcher of lawns and orchard, seldom going far from the tree in which its nest with its white eggs is placed. A dry-voiced little bird whose unmusical, but distinctly uttered chebéc, chebéc makes up in character what it lacks in sweetness. Between whiles he swings out for a passing insect only to call chebéc, chebéc, chebéc when he returns to his perch.