Even though it’s still technically spring, the birds that breed here during the summer have all arrived. Among them are the great crested flycatchers (Myiarchus crinitis). The flycatchers don’t really use the feeding stations for food since they eat flying insects which they usually catch on the wing, but they do like to keep an eye on who is coming and going. Now that they are here and are establishing their territories it’s important to be vigilant. We are also in the middle of a drought right now, so although I’ve never seen one come to the water dishes, it wouldn’t surprise me if they do when I’m not out there. For these reasons, it’s not at all unusual to see them hanging around the stations. This one showed up this morning and found a nice perch where it could see everything. It watched the comings and goings for 15 to 20 minutes, moving around from time to time. After a while it headed off into the woods again. It was very intent and watchful the entire time. The nice thing was that the perch also gave me a perfect view of the bird, so it wasn’t the only one watching with interest.