[EBB Sightings] a big disappointment

Dear Birders:

Try as I might, I can no longer hear the loud, ringing call of the Olive-sided Flycatcher. Since childhood, it is the bird above all others, that signaled the beginning of summer.

It had arrived here last week and appeared to be setting up shop in a tall eucalyptus where it had a "bird's eye" view of the neighborhood and any passing insect.

Now after three days of quiet from that quarter, the flycatcher appears to have moved on.? Why? No prospective mate, an insufficiency of succulent insects?? The Olive-sided Flycatcher is a species in serious decline.? The reason is uncertain but speculation suggests changes in its winter habitat.

Of all the passerine species, the Olive-sided Flycatcher may hold the record for long distance and protracted migrations, some traveling from the Andes in South American to nesting grounds in Alaska. Once established on its territory, it's a fierce defender of its nest with both the male and female driving off all real and perceived enemies.

Whoever is responsible for writing about the species for Birds of North America online is also clearly a fan of the Olive-sided Flycatchers using some colorful language -- words like "sallying" to describe the way the bird leaves its perch to snag an insect (honey bees being a particular favorite) and "yo-yo" to describe how they often return to the same perch.

Sallying and yo-yoing aside, our local Olive-sided Flycatcher has gone elsewhere and our summer will be poorer for its departure.

Phila Rogers