It’s been bugging me these first seven months of the year that I have yet to get a photo of a great crested flycatcher. I finally got one this morning at John A. Roebling Park in Abbott Marshlands, Hamilton.
I was coming up the path from the parking lot when I spotted a bird ahead and above. It was facing away from me but I snapped a couple of photos, hoping I’d catch a moment when the bird turned its head. I couldn’t make out the ID and figured I’d pick it up on screen at home.
I walked over the foot bridge to the back island but didn’t even lift my camera. It was another hear-a-lot, see-a-few kind of birding day. I turned back and as I was nearing the parking lot a bird flew over me and plopped into a tree about 10 feet away.
A great crested flycatcher! The ID was easy, as I had a good view of the bird’s slender body and pale yellow breast. I was able to get off a few shots and glad of it.
When I got home and brought up the photos of that mystery bird, I realized it was a great crested flycatcher, almost certainly the same bird I’d shot on the second pass.
One of the images in the first batch of photos I shot did include one with the bird looking my way, and that image tops this post. Now I can relax — I got my GCF shot for 2026. That’s a nice way to close out the month. 🦅