WhenToBird

Empidonax alnorum · Tyrannidae

When Do Alder Flycatchers Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Alder Flycatcher
Photo: Brandon Johnson, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Alder Flycatchers mostly pass through Michigan: they arrive in mid May, peak in early June (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 15-21mid May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJun 1-7early June
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: early June. First arrivals mid May; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 5.8% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.0% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.1% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.3% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.8% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.7% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.0% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.3% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.1% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.6% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 30908 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Michigan that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chippewa CountyBest the second week of June · 717 checklists that week, 28,128 in all26%
  2. Luce CountyBest the second week of June · 141 checklists that week, 2,575 in all23%
  3. Ontonagon CountyBest the second week of June · 120 checklists that week, 3,548 in all22%
  4. Schoolcraft CountyBest early June · 132 checklists that week, 3,719 in all21%
  5. Keweenaw CountyBest the second week of June · 407 checklists that week, 12,437 in all21%
  6. Alger CountyBest the second week of June · 537 checklists that week, 16,120 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Two LakesAlger County, best the second week of June · 30 checklists that week, 418 in all84%
  2. Edmore State Game AreaIsabella County, best late May · 34 checklists that week, 123 in all78%
  3. Munuscong State Wildlife Management AreaChippewa County, best the second week of June · 75 checklists that week, 1,008 in all68%
  4. French Farm CreekEmmet County, best late May · 24 checklists that week, 237 in all62%
  5. Portage Marsh State Wildlife Management AreaDelta County, best early June · 26 checklists that week, 577 in all58%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Alder Flycatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 3.5% of 39298 checklists7 am: 1.9% of 120344 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 180109 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 171966 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 156332 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 0.4% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0%
May0.1%0.2%2.0%6.1%
June6.3%4.8%3.7%2.0%
July1.4%1.3%1.4%2.1%
August1.6%0.8%0.3%0.2%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
October0%0%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives mid May, in the same week than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid May, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do Alder Flycatchers arrive in Michigan?
Alder Flycatchers mostly pass through Michigan: they arrive in mid May, peak in early June (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Alder Flycatchers leave Michigan?
Most Alder Flycatchers have left Michigan by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Alder Flycatcher in Michigan?
The Alder Flycatcher is reported most often in early June, on about 5.8% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Alder Flycatchers seen most often?
By county, Chippewa County, Luce County, and Ontonagon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Alder Flycatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).