Western Kingbird in Pomfret?

September 12, 2018 – The flycatcher sallying forth from a fencepost in Pomfret on Sunday might well have been a Western Kingbird.

Nancy Barrett, a Connecticut Audubon member who lives nearby, photographed the bird and sent the shot today to Andy Rzeznikiewicz, our sanctuary manager in eastern Connecticut.

Western Kingbirds show up in Connecticut every couple of years, but usually not this early in the season. Their typical range is from the Great Plains west to the Pacific. Based on the photo and on the probability, Executive Director Patrick Comins thinks it’s most likely a Western Kingbird but says he’s not sure Cassin’s Kingbird can be ruled out (which would be bigger news indeed).

The bird was seen off Bosworth Road, on left side of the road.  The trail then forks to the right and there is a fence between our property and the neighbors.