14 THE AUDUBON BULLETOIN 
A Winter Record of the Least Flycatcher in Central Illinois 
While taking a Christmas bird 
count on December 15, 1978, near 
Crane Lake, Mason County, Jim 
Funk and I observed an Empidonax 
flycatcher. The bird stayed low to 
the ground in a thicket of willow 
and maple saplings. A shallow 
stream of open water bordered by 
ice and snow flowed through the 
thicket. There were two inches of 
snow on the ground, and the tem- 
perature was 29 degrees. 
The flycatcher seemed to be ac- 
tively feeding, but we could discern 
no insect life. At times the bird 
~drooped its wings and shook them, 
probably to keep warm. The bird 
never flew over 15 or 20 feet in one 
flight, and we were able to approach 
within 10 feet of the bird several 
times. This also allowed us to get 
close enough to knock the flycatcher 
down with a snowball and collect it. 
Ned K. Johnson of the University 
of California later examined the 
specimen and determined it to be 
the Least Flycatcher (Empidonax 
minimus). Johnson states that ‘“‘the 
specimen is a typical example of a 
first-year bird (note the worn, 
pointed rectrices and differential 
wear on the secondaries), in other 
words, an individual that had 
hatched some 6 to 8 months prior 
to being collected.” 
The bird was a male, testes meas- 
uring 1mm; the skull was ossified. 
There was little fat on the bird; 
and its gizzards contents, examined 
by E. D. Cashatt of the Illinois 
State Museum, were most Hemip- 
tera with a few Coleoptera (one 
Chrysomelidae) and one _ spider. 
Measurements: wing 60.5mm, tail 
54.1mm, bill (from anterior portion 
of nostril) 7.2mm, weight 9.00 g. 
Soft-part colors: iris black, mouth 
lining yellow, tarsi dark brown, 
bill upper mandible dark brown, 
lower mandible light brownish. The 
specimen is in the Illinois State 
Museum (No. 605838). 
The Least Flycatcher is a com- 
mon migrant and rare summer resi- 
dent in Central Illinois. Its winter 
range is Mexico and Central Amer- 
ica south to Panama (“Check-list 
of North American Birds,” 195'7). 
There are a few winter records 
from extreme southern United 
States (e.g. Texas and Florida). 
The latest fall migration dates for 
Illinois and surrounding states are 
mid-October. 
—H. David Bohlen, Ill. State Museum, Springfield 62706 
—Jim Funk, Route 1, Box 170, Liberty, Ill. 62347 
A GREAT HORNED OWL IN YORK CENTER 
On Sunday, Feb. 24, 1974, we were awakened at 8:15 a.m. by the noise of 
crows nearby. Several of them were gathered in a willow tree in the yard of 
a neighbor. We could see nothing else. Upon closer examination, about a half 
hour later, we saw a Great Horned Owi sitting on the grass a step away 
from our neighbor’s home. We startled each other, and it flew to the willow 
tree where it remained for awhile despite harassment by the crows. We did 
not have time to witness the final act in this drama. It was great to see the 
Great Horned Owl so close, and we’re delighted we acted back in the 1950s 
to place them on the Illinois protected list. 
—Raymond Mostek 
