Gray Flycatcher (Empidonax wrightii) with Damselfly
Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
D200, f7.1, 1/750, ISO 250, 200-400mm VR w/1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not a set up

This image was taken in the month of August before Utah’s Flycatcher population migrates south. My friend Ron and I were driving the auto loop at Bear River NWR when we spotted this Gray Flycatcher  flitting in some dead shrubs along the road. We followed the path of the flycatcher slowly hoping to get some decent images of it without distracting the bird from its hunting using the vehicle as a mobile blind.

I have to say this species moves fast which makes it a challenge to track them with a lens. The vehicle was stopped when the flycatcher flew back towards us and snatched a damselfly in mid air then landed on a dead branch not too far from the truck and proceeded to eat the damselfly. The light was wonderful, the setting appealing and the action was great. I don’t think I could have asked for a better background either. I was able to take a series of images of this flycatcher ingesting the damselfly.

I hope that I will get more opportunities with flycatchers, they are very interesting to observe and photograph.

Mia