Great Crested Flycatcher
Today's treat (3/6/19).
I heard them. A pair. I didn't recognize its call. So, I did what birders teach. Sit still and wait. It's not that the birds don't see us, they need time to get used to our presence. I slowly aimed my camera toward the sound I heard at the top of the tree canopy and right away noticed that lemon-yellow breast. Oh my.
What a beautiful bird!
The Great Crested Flycatcher landed in a tree that had not burst its spring leaves. Because of that, I have this photo to show you. This photo is number 80—80 different bird species in Wildewood Springs.
Birders say that when a new bird is seen for the first time, it's a lifer. Today's sighting was a first.
The Flycatcher family is described as small-to-medium sized migrant songbirds that perch in an upright posture. They race after flying insects, a large variety of beetles, crickets, katydids, caterpillars, moths, and butterflies. They are monogamous. The Great Crested Flycatcher is vulnerable to habitat loss.
I saw an Eastern Phoebe earlier this week, a bird that is also classified as a flycatcher. So the Great Crested and Eastern Phoebe are in the same family.
