Ode to the Pine Flycatcher

While perusing the daily news stories, I came across one about the Pine Flycatcher, a tiny little bird. Apparently, it is all the rage in the bird watchers realm, as it made a 200 mile treck out of it's natural habitat eventually settling in southern Texas. The Pine Flycatcher appears to be alone and (get this) according to John Arvin the research coordinator at Gulf Coast bird Observatory it seems "very much out of whack." Which begs the question, what criteria must be met to seem "very much out of whack" as oppossed to just out of character?

Maybe, our Pine Flycatcher, whom I will refer to as Piney, has just simply had it with this "birds of a feather flock together" thing. Perhaps, Piney is a rebel, born to adventure and never quite satisfied with the status quo. Wouldn't you just love to know if it's a male or female? I prefer to think of Piney as a mom that has had her fill of feathering the nest. Maybe, the baby birds complained one to many times about the lack of variety of worms and bugs Piney had provided. Could it be that Piney is forlorned over a great love that has flown the coop? Two hundred miles of peace and quiet seems just about the right amount of time to clear one's head to me. "Very much out of whack" humph! Piney simply has a world of possibilities before him/her.

What will Piney choose? A life of solitude, a life of exploration of new territory, a life that charts a new course for Pine Flycatchers everywhere, or will Piney return to the security of the average exsistence. I, for one, am rooting for the great avian adventure. Don't turn back now Piney!