Rare bird alert: Word spreads as Vermilion flycatcher spotted in Alberta for first time ever

A Vermillion flycatcher was spotted in Banff for the first time on April 20 on the trail behind the Royal Canadian Legion

A rare bird sighting in Banff National Park has southern Alberta bird watchers atwitter.

On April 20, according to a local media report, a Vermilion Flycatcher was spotted on a trail behind the Royal Canadian Legion by Ardea Thurston-Shaine.

The bird’s northern limits have traditionally been the U.S. southwest, which is why some local bird watchers are speculating as to what this wayward flycatcher was doing in Banff.

Local birding expert and independent wildlife biologist Jason Rogers, who is the southern Alberta reviewer for eBird and the coordinator for Banff Community Bird Walk sent CTV News a statement about the rare sighting.

“As the nearest breeding populations of Vermilion Flycatcher are way down in the U.S. southwest, you might wonder what this bird was doing in Banff,” Rogers wrote. “While Vermilion Flycatchers are sedentary across much of their range, some of those U.S. populations migrate. And they’ve been expanding northward over the last several decades.

“One of the things likely driving this expansion is the inclination of Vermilion Flycatchers to overshoot their traditional breeding grounds during spring migration. What we saw with the Banff bird could be an extreme example of that,” he said.

Rogers said climate change in the U.S. could also be a factor.

“it’s hard not to think that this far-flung individual was responding to the southwest’s megadrought and recent heat dome. Vermilion Flycatchers tend to associate with water and, if traditional breeding locations are becoming too dry from drought or water mismanagement, the birds might have to shift to new ones. And aided by clear skies and the south winds associated with the western side of that heat dome, a Vermilion Flycatcher moving up from northwestern Mexico might have been able to make comparatively short work of a flight to Canada.”

By Friday, the news had spread to an item in the American Birding Association website.

“And Alberta goes for the double this week!” the website posted. “The province’s first record of Vermilion Flycatcher in Banff was followed only a few days later by the province’s first record of Ross’s Gull near Henderson Lake. The former has stuck around for many birders to see while the latter was, sadly, offered only a brief stop-over."

It also noted a second Vermilion Flycatcher sighting in nearby Montana.

“Not too far away in neighboring Montana, a beautiful male Vermilion Flycatcher near Whitefish is that state’s second (on) record, suggesting a little bit of a pattern here in early spring."

Thurston-Shaine, who is an interdisciplinary artist based in Waterloo, Ontario, whose social media features a number of illustrations of birds, reported the sighting to eBird, a database of bird sightings.

“Small, gorgeous flycatcher of open habitats,” eBird described the flycatcher. “Adult males have brilliant red underparts and crown with dark brown upperparts and mask behind eye. Females and immature males are much duller grayish-brown, but usually show pink or yellowish color on belly.

“Widespread; occurs from the southwest U.S. to Argentina,” it added. “Found in many open woodlands and brushy areas, often seen perched on fence posts along roadsides. Feeds on insects.”

CTV News has reached out to Thurston-Shaine, Parks Canada, and Alberta Fish & Wildlife for further comment.