English and Scientific names:	Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus)
Number of individuals:	One in fresh juvenal plumage
Locality: LOUISIANA:	Cameron Parish
Specific Locality:	Peveto Beach Woods, ca. 3.5 mi. E of Johnson Bayou
Date(s) when observed:	23, 24 October 2010
Time(s) of day when observed:	~ 12:15 -12:25 PM on 23 Oct, 11:00 – 11:30 AM on 24 Oct
Reporting observer and address:	Devin Bosler Lancaster, PA 17601
Other observers accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s):	None
Other observers who independently identified the bird(s)	None. James Beck’s photos from 19 and 27 Oct were NOT of this particular individual and appeared to be a dark Eastern in my opinion.
Light conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light):	Clear sky with optimal late morning sunlight. Increasing cloud cover on 24 Oct. Sun angle high and behind observer.
Optical equipment:	Zeiss Victory FL 8x42, Kowa TSN 881 Angled 88mm scope w/ 20-60x optical zoom, Canon Powershot SD1100 IS digital camera (all equipment in excellent condition).
Distance to bird(s):	ca. 20-25 meters
Duration of observation:	~ 10-15 min. on 23 Oct, 30 min. on 24 Oct
Habitat:	Heavily disturbed, fragmented mature coastal chenier woodlot. Live oak-hackberry-honeylocust dominated canopy with extensive herbaceous understory of ragweed-baccharis-camphorweed-goldenrod.
Behavior of bird:	Actively fly-catching from highest dead branches of live oaks and hackberries. Returning to a few favored perches. Silent throughout encounter despite interactions with an Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens). Relocated in same vicinity the following day. Observed at rest and in flight.
Description:	Very dark pewee in fresh plumage. Overall plumage cold, dark brown lacking any olive-green tones. Underparts, especially throat and breast, equally dark with solid dark gray-brown breast band. Very indistinct light brown-cinnamon wing bars contrasting minimally with dark wing. Dark centers to undertail coverts. Dark brown irides. Entirely dark bill with pale orange restricted to base of lower mandible. Dark gray legs and feet. Adults in worn plumage during fall migration.
Voice:	Silent.
Similar species:	Very similar to Eastern Wood-Pewee (EAWP), however, there are separable plumage/bare part/posture characteristics to be considered. This individual much darker overall than any fresh juvenal EAWP in my experience. EAWP can be eliminated by lack of split breast band and darkness of throat, breast, etc. Darkness of head lacking any olive-green tones also favors WEWP. EAWP in fresh plumage would show relatively bright, pale, contrasty wingbars as opposed to this individual. EAWP, in general, lack dark centers on undertail coverts exhibited by this individual. Almost entirely dark lower mandible inconsistent with EAWP. Structure/posture differences are more subjective but still useful. WEWP perches with a more upright, less languid posture. Perhaps an artifact of shorter tail to wing tip ratio, the tail does not droop when perched as in EAWP. This renders a more straight-backed appearance in WEWP.
Photographs or tape recordings obtained?	Digiscoped photos by Devin Bosler. Yes, photos attached.
Previous experience with this species:	Prior experience with this species from breeding grounds only. Observed in several Western states.
Identification aids:	National Geographic Complete Birds of N.A. (Alderfer et al. 2005)
This description is written from:	notes made during the observation, notes made after the observation, memory.
Are you positive of your identification? If not, explain:	Yes, confident.
Date and time:	2 November 2010 Time: 11:30 PM CDT