Bird ID? Pewee? Flycatcher? Phoebe?

I took these photos near Denver about a week ago in a river bottomland forest/clearing area. I have about 8 bird books in front of me and everytime I decide on an ID, I find a different picture that changes my mind. The 2 sets of photos were taken about 1/2 mile apart and originally I thought that they were different species. My feeling is that the top 2 photos were of a smaller bird. Both were very fly-catchery in behavior. My best guess are Western Wood Pewee, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, or Willow Flycatcher. I don't know songs at all... Help?

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My guesses would be Least Flycatcher for the first and Willow for the second. If you really want to know , join Birdforum and post the same shots there in the Id. section.

I think that 99% is Flycatcher because if I am not mistaken I have seen this bird on Birdforum with the same question

snowyowl13 wrote in post #12556644
My guesses would be Least Flycatcher for the first and Willow for the second.

I didn't consider the Least Flycatcher because my bird books didn't show a range for it in Colorado, but maybe...

serena85 wrote in post #12556677
I think that 99% is Flycatcher because if I am not mistaken I have seen this bird on Birdforum with the same question

snowyowl13 wrote in post #12556644
If you really want to know , join Birdforum and post the same shots there in the Id. section.

Thanks for the Birdforum suggestion. I haven't heard of them before so I will be sure to check it out.

I just took shots in east central IL just like these and was ready to ask the same thing.

Good luck! I still haven't found out for sure. I am going to print up these photos and take them to my local bird feeder store--they do a lot of birding from there.

East central Illinois? Anywhere near Pekin? I grew up there...

I'm still out on the ID too. I see this bird most every day now and am leaning towards
flycatcher or eastern phoebe. Pekin! You bet! My first job after the service was working
on the construction of the Com Ed plant in Pekin. I've been in the Champaign/Urbana area
for the last 32 years.

riverdog1 wrote in post #12627389
I'm still out on the ID too. I see this bird most every day now and am leaning towards
flycatcher or eastern phoebe. Pekin! You bet! My first job after the service was working
on the construction of the Com Ed plant in Pekin. I've been in the Champaign/Urbana area
for the last 32 years.

Well, my local bird store birding expert believes that the second set of photos is a Western Wood-Pewee. You wouldn't have that in IL. He also ruled out phoebes and the Olive-sided Flycatcher right away. He thought that the first set (a smaller bird) was an Empidonax flycatcher but he wouldn't hazard a guess of which one. Willow is my best guess (which is not too informed at all!) So I think that this my dead end for IDing these birds, especially since I don't know songs

Good luck to you, riverdog, in finding out what your birds are! Oh, I lived in Champaign/Urbana for four years while going to the U of I. Haven't been back since I graduated in 1971, but I loved it while I was there. My brother still lives in Pekin but, since my folks passed away, I don't get back much. My brother comes to Colorado to visit me! I miss the trees...well, those trees that still exist in between corn fields...

The best way to know some of these flycatchers is to learn their songs and calls, pick up an app for your phone/ipod or get the Stokes CDs. Finding birds by ear will also help you find more birds to photograph than sight will.