A Nemesis Bird at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary

Life bird #327, as you can see in the sidebar, was an Alder Flycatcher that I managed to spot yesterday in Richland County, Ohio. I took a trip to the Ohio Bird Sanctuary after a friend advised that the birds appeared to be
nesting, and sure enough, I got them! In the title, I call the Alder Flycatcher a "nemesis bird." This bit of birder lingo usually refers to a bird  that has  eluded a birder on multiple chases. I don't think that I've chased Alder Flycatchers before, but it's one that I've felt that I should have on my list for awhile.


These birds are regular migrants through Ohio in the spring and fall. There's a problem though: unlike other common migrants, such as the very distinctive Black-throated Blue Warbler, the Alder Flycatcher has a doppelgänger in the form of the Willow Flycatcher. If you do an image search for one, you're bound to see pictures of the other, just because the photographer is wrong. I'm not even sure why field guides show separate pictures of the two! In his Field Guide to Advanced Birding, Kenn Kaufman writes that the Alder and Willow Flycatchers are "impossible to separate with complete certainty if they are silent." Banders, who actually hold them in their hands, usually refer to these two species as "Traill's Flycatcher," the name used before ornithologists realized they were separate birds.

There's the challenge for Ohio birders: to identify an Alder flycatcher it has to be present, and it has to be singing. It was a surprise when another Ohio birder told me that he had found two birds that appeared to be on territory getting ready to nest. So, with the day free, I made the drive to the Ohio Bird Sanctuary.

A sunbathing Wild Turkey on the way into the Sanctuary

The OBS is an interesting place. They have a number of birds that are unable to return to the wild in large cages. It was great to get close views of some of the hawks and owls they have at the sanctuary, but I was on a mission so I didn't stay long. I'll have to go back sometime if I'm in the area though!

I walked one of the trails down to the boardwalk, where the birds been heard before. After about a half-hour of listening, I was starting to get nervous. There were a lot of interesting birds around, especially the Common Yellowthroats, but my flycatcher was nowhere to be found!

A Blue-Winged Warbler wondering what I'm looking for

I decided to play a recording of an Alder Flycatcher, to see if it might elicit a response. One buzzy "freeeBEER" from my phone, and up popped my bird! I'm fairly certain that it was a female, because she didn't give a song in response to my recording. She was however calling, which is enough to identify the species. While I was looking at her, I heard the male's song in the distance!

Life bird! 

Two individuals of a species I'd never seen before, and only an hour from my apartment. I wasn't able to track down the male, but I was thrilled to hear that song! This species is a rare nester in Ohio, so I didn't want to disturb them by playing the recording again. It was an exciting day, but the approaching rain told me that it was time to leave. I'm sure now I'll see hear dozens of Alder Flycatchers in the future! You can see my full list from the Ohio Bird Sanctuary here.