Say Phoebe Nesting in Western Montana
Say Phoebe Nesting in Western Montana
On April 12, 1929, it was reported to me that an unidentified flycatcher which had been seen in Missoula in the spring of 1928, had returned. May 11, it and its mate were definitely identified as Say Phoebes (Sayornis saya). On that date one or both birds were seen carrying nesting material and the nest was discovered. It was a high, bulky affair placed on a horizontal beam under the eaves of a dwelling in the outskirts of the town. On June 7 both parents were seen carrying food to the nest. In “A Distributional List of the Birds of Montana” by Aretas A. Saunders. This bird is reported as unknown west of the continental divide. In the Condor (XXIX, 1927, p. 159), Winton Weydemeyer of Libby, Montana, reports having observed for several minutes a Say Phoebe in the outskirts of Libby on July 20, 1924. This present report from Missoula seems, then, to be the first record of a Say Phoebe nesting in Montana west of the continental divide.
Caroline Wells
Missoula, Montana, December 27, 1929
