[CT Birds] western fly

[Roy Harvey]

> If, as everythign suggests
> that both call, measurements and plumage overlaps, it seems strange
> to entertain the idea of two separate species if they cannot be
> reliably separated in the field outside of their breeding range.

And think of the poor birders who live where the ranges meet!  I
found a comment in a book excerpt from "Rare Encounters with Ordinary
Birds" by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
http://books.google.com/books?id=HTyvC3WbFLUC&pg=PA98&lpg=PA98&dq=%22pacific+slope%22+cordilleran+flycatcher+split&source=web&ots=5sVnkMios0&sig=dTcot5x-lNjRiKJgO37KeTBixBM#PPA99,M1

"To further confuse things, ardent students of the flycatcher here in
Washington have observed single individuals singing both of the songs
that supposedly differentiate the two species.  They are at a loss to
establish reliable geographical boundaries that might separate the
species.  These gifted amatuer ornithologists are among the most
vocal opponents of the controversial split."

Roy Harvey
Beacon Falls, CT