Dear Tweeters,

I'm an enthusiastic if somewhat spottily-informed novice birder, with
several field guides and a pair of cheap binoculars. Last weekend,
while my husband and I were driving around in the general vicinity
of the cranberry bogs near Gray's Harbor, I thought I heard an olive-
sided flycatcher (one of the few birdsongs I can identify,) so I asked
if we could park and hang out for a bit in hopes of finally seeing one
of these guys.

We pulled over by the side of the road, and I got out my binoculars,
and spotted some motion in the top of a large dead tree. Two birds,
approximately sparrow-sized, VERY plump, sort of grayish (no
distinctive markings that I could make out, although I sure
tried,)...but the puzzling thing was that they both seemed to have
CRESTS. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought they were titmice
off on a holiday to regions not usually explored by same. I posted
this question to a webpage, and the guy said "probably a Stellar's
Jay." HARUMPH! ..."Or a Cedar Waxwing." DOUBLE HARUMPH!
No "masks" on these guys -- that much at least was clear.

So...what could they have been? Flycatchers having a bad feather
day? They REALLY did seem to have crests. My husband, whose
eyesight is better than mine, thought so too.

Any clues?

Lauralee Smith (list member for exactly one day so far!)