a possible northern flycatcher and a tiny turtle

A beautiful sun-lit morning with (mostly) no wind. The highlight was a medium-sized flycatcher (smaller than a Kingbird, bigger than a Pewee) leaping from bare snag top to bare snag top. When it flew, it showed white on the side under the wing. A possible Olive-sided Flycatcher; they are early migrants and I had one in mid-August last year. Olive-sided Flycatchers usually hunt and return from snag tops but this one was apparently moving on.

Another half of the remaining Purple Martins seems to have taken off so there are something over a dozen birds left. They'll be going in the few days I suspect.

Northern Waterthrushes seem to be all along the upper marsh edge; difficult to estimate the numbers but there are quite a few. Could not refind the suspected upland Louisiana Waterthrush.

I found a tiny turtle a few days ago. It was, I suppose, a Box Turtle (the only species normally in residence here) but it didn't look like one. It had a high ridge to its upper carapace and very little yellow (none at all on its face and legs). I suppose it's possible that someone dropped off a non-Box Turtle specimen but I suspect the differences are just those between a very young juvenile and the alwyas recognizable but very variable adults. 

Eric Salzman