Hi, Ken and tweeters.

I was going to write a note like Gene's, and I wanted to add to it that I studied long series of Western Flycatchers at the Carnegie Museum some years ago, from the breeding ranges of both Pacific-slope and Cordilleran, and I found no plumage differences between them whatsoever, so I wondered what differences you meant when you wrote "On the last day we observed a Cordilleran Flycatcher along Dry Creek in Walla Walla County for comparison in breeding plumage and call."

Thanks.

Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
dennispaulson at comcast.net
------------
Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2006 22:47:44 -0700
From: "Eugene and Nancy Hunn" <enhunn323 at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] 4 day WOS fieldtrip to Blue Mts.
To: "washingtonbirder. Knittle" <washingtonbirder at hotmail.com>,
<tweeters at u.washington.edu>, <inland-nw-birders at uidaho.edu>

Ken,

Just curious, how do you decide which is a Pacific Slope and which a
Cordilleran, since they're all one variable population as far as anyone can
judge. I don't believe there is any credible evidence that there are two
species of Western Flycatcher sharing the same terrain anywhere. If we
follow the AOU which followed Ned K. Johnson, we must call all the breeding
Western Flycatchers in SE Washington "Cordilleran Flycatchers" no matter
what they might look or sound like.

Gene Hunn