Flycatchers come and flycatchers go. At least here in central Florida, they do. Every spring and summer we are blessed to have the great crested flycatchers living and breeding in the woods around here. They usually get here in February and leave us for South America in September. But not to worry, in October or early November the eastern phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) arrive and take over the niche that the great crested flycatchers have left behind. If you compare the two, you can easily see a family resemblance, but the eastern phoebe is considerably smaller and generally not as brightly colored. This male was the exception. When he first arrived, he was still in his breeding plumage and, as you can see, very handsome and colorful. Since then the rest have been less colorful in their winter wardrobe. I’m not sure if this fellow is still around and has molted or if he has continued further south, but all the phoebes I’m seeing now are far less colorful. Still, although I miss my great crested flycatchers, I welcome their cousins, the eastern phoebes.