Bob,

You wrote:

>Martin's list of species seen at Green Lake has only one flycatcher on it:
the >Pacific slope flycatcher.

First of all, you give me too much credit. The list of Green Lake bird
species contains several birds contributed by Gene Hunn, Ruth Taylor and
others.

>So that must have been what I saw, right?

Second, just because something isn't on this list doesn't mean it could not
be seen at Green Lake. About one species every two years or so is added to
the list. So keep an open mind. Species I more or less expect to add to the
Green Lake list include:
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Hammond's Flycatcher
And getting progressively more unlikely:
Say's Phoebe
Western Kingbird
Dusky Flycatcher

>I saw a flycatcher at Green Lake today around noon, but I sure can't tell
>you which one it was.
>It was doing the off from the branch, chase a bug, and come
>back to the branch routine, opposite and just south of
>the Bathhouse.

Keep in mind that the "hawking" behavior you describe here is also exhibited
by, for instance, Western Wood-Pewee, as well as some warblers (not implying
you would mistake a warbler for a flycatcher).

>There was a relatively narrow vertical band of the typical
>creamy-yellowy color running from the top of the breast
>down through the belly. The band had difuse edges and
>to either side on the breast were light greyish feathers,
>with slightly darker indistinct long vertical striping. There
>were two lighter wing bars and, although it may have been
>a trick of the light, I was pretty sure that they were a sort of
>light orangish brown - more like the color of the wingbars of
>the willow flycatcher in the Peterson guide. I'm not saying it
>*was* a willow flycatcher, just that the wingbars seemed to
>be that color. There was a definite angle, or point, in the profile
>of the top of the head, rear of center. There was a thin darker
>eyebow "line" and a broad light area surrounding the eye. The
>eyebrow "line" seemed to be part of a meandering slightly
>darker "line" that roughly enclosed the broad lighter area
>surrounding the eye, except for the the top of the area. The top of the
>head was slightly darker than the rest of the head.

I see your confusion/uncertainty.

>The birds in the guides don't look quite like the bird I saw, in part
because the >ones that are possible don't seem to have that creamy line down
the front.

Things to pay attention to (in addition to all the things you already
described) when taking up the challenge of identifying a flycatcher are song
and coloration of the bill.

Yesterday morning while getting my exercise by running around the lake, I
heard a Western Wood-Pewee give its unmistakable descending _peeer_ call
from one of the snags near the Bathhouse Theater. I am not implying that's
what you saw (the white around the eye-ring doesn't fit), just demonstrating
the value of the song field mark when dealing with this group.

Without going out there, I don't think I can be certain what you saw. So
perhaps I should....go out there. Maybe I'll see you out there.

Martin Muller, Seattle
MartinMuller at email.msn.com