Tweets,

While I agree with Wayne, with my somewhat limited experience, that
'Western' Flycatchers seem oriented to water, I must digress that this water
must be in the form of streams. It appears to me that a lake will do as well
as a stream. In my home state of Idaho it is not unusual to find 'Western'
Flycatchers holding territory around lakes, streams, and ponds as long as
the water source is not a seasonal one. This seems to be true of Red-eyed
Vireo as well.
With that said it is not surprising that eventually 'Western' Flycatchers
and/or Red-eyed Vireo would attempt some nesting in Bassett Park in
Washtucna. There is a stream that flows through the park. The stream is
small, but it is not a seasonal habitat, but a year-round feature.
I suspect as larger tracts of habitat slowly (or quickly, as the case may
be) disappear that birds will begin to utilize marginal habitat for breeding
attempts.
Whether these breeding attempts are successful or not remains to be seen.
Also, it remains to be seen if this behavior is a trend, or a one-time
effort of lost or confused birds. A single data point does not make a trend
for certain. However, one thing is certain. Most species will not maintain
population levels on marginal habitat.

Cheers

Doug Schonewald
Moses Lake, WA
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