Howdy,

Both the Indigo Bunting and Least Flycatcher were at their appointed spots this morning (6/14/09), the bunting in the "back left" (northeast) corner of the field singing from the tops of blackberries and the flycatcher in the trees just beyond that. Both were extremely easy to find as soon as I arrived. I had seen both birds by 5:56 AM. Birders arriving later had more trouble. I went back for another look between 7:15 and 7:30 and did not hear the flycatcher. The bunting was singing but not showing itself. It was using higher perches than it had been earlier in the morning.

The easiest way to see the flycatcher may be the following: walk about 60 yards beyond the small creek bed (see previous directions). You should see a ~10-foot branch on the right side of the trail. You'll almost be in the next field to the east. Turn back towards the southwest. You'll see several smaller trees. There's one in the middle that has less leaf cover than the others. The flycatcher would frequently return to this tree during its rounds and sing from here. A scope would be helpful. It was also singing quite a bit from other trees, but the leaf cover kept it hidden.

John Puschock
Wedgwood, Seattle
g_g_allin at hotmail.com
http://www.birdtreks.com & http://www.zbirdtours.com

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