Another Elaenia?

This morning, I was reading the Stokes birding blog (http://www.stokesbirdingblog.blogspot.com/) when I came across this post: http://stokesbirdingblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/property-bird-186-white-winged.html

They mentioned that an interesting flycatcher was found in Rode Island. I did a little searching and came up with this: http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Mail/MassBird/383062

Which in turn led to photos of the bird in question: http://picasaweb.google.com/noah.conway/WillowFlycatcher111008405PM#5267139285549412258

It was originally IDed as a possible Willow Flycatcher by the finder.  Subsequent IDs from people looking at the photos suggested an ELAENIA SPECIES. 

The bird was not refound later: http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Mail/MassBird/383419

It was also suggested by some people that the bird is just an Empid Flycatcher. 

If the bird IS IDed as an Elaenia it would be either a first N American record, or, it would be a 2nd ABA area record (If IDed as White-crested) 

The first N American record of any Elaenia species was a Greenish Elaenia in High Island TX on May 20 1984: http://www.texasbirds.org/tbrc/gelaenia.htm 
The first AOU area record of a WHITE-CRESTED ELAENIA was found on South Padre Island in TX this past Feb. 
http://www.martinreid.com/Main%20website/wcelaenia.html

I posted a few pictures and a little bit about Elaenias among other things about the White-crested Elaenia back in Feb: http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/2008/02/news-flash-from-tx.html

http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/2008/02/more-elaenia-pictures.html

I believe that the bird in question resembles an Elaenia species more that an Empid. 

The angle is such that the bird may just be an Empid. However, the head shape seems to match White-crested Elaenia more closely than an Empid would. 

Hopefully, the bird will turn up again. 

Among other things, CAVE SWALLOWS are being seen in WI, MI, OH, ON, ME, RI, MA, NJ, N.S. and several other States and Provinces. Keep on the lookout if you live in the Midwest or Northeast. 

Today's Blog of the Day is, of course, The Stokes birding blog: http://www.stokesbirdingblog.blogspot.com/

Don and Lillian Stokes live in NH and are the authors of the Stokes field guides to birds, The Stokes audio field guide to birds, Eastern and Western, and they even have their own line of optics. The Stokes series Binos and scopes. 

Happy Birding!