The olive-sided flycatcher, known as a patient and watchful species by the Tsay Keh Dene, is a declining species of aerial insectivore. These birds make their homes in forest openings, using mature forests for nesting and rearing their young, and relying on forest openings for foraging. Despite their adaptability, olive-sided flycatchers are in steep decline, with populations in British Columbia declining by up to 69% since 1970.

To better understand the relationship between the species and both natural and anthropogenic disturbances, researchers have documented the presence of 43 olive-sided flycatchers in the Akai and Findlay watersheds over two breeding seasons. The majority of these birds were found at cutblock edges, indicating their ability to adapt to disturbed habitats like burns, bark beetle impacted stands, and regenerating cut blocks. However, the edge habitat created through forest harvests may present an ecological trap for the species, with increased predation or reduced insect prey availability and quality.

The causes of population declines for the olive-sided flycatcher are not well understood, but habitat loss and land conversion are thought to be significant threats. To identify areas where the species is present and absent, researchers surveyed sites in the mesolinka watershed and completed habitat assessments at sites where the birds were detected and where they were not.

These assessments were conducted using automated recording units, which recorded bird song at dawn. Researchers then conducted a habitat assessment, documenting dominant tree, shrub, moss and lichen species, as well as potential wildlife trees and snags in the area. These assessments will inform the development of habitat-based actions and land management strategies that could benefit the species.

The olive-sided flycatcher is a species of high priority, with its unique song providing a familiar connection to nature throughout the summer months in the Tsay Keh Dene territory. Future research will expand to the Ingenika and Ospika watersheds, in hopes of saving this threatened bird species.