WhenToBird

Empidonax alnorum · Tyrannidae

When Do Alder Flycatchers Arrive in Ohio?

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

Alder Flycatchers mostly pass through Ohio: they arrive in the second week of May, peak in late May (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: late May. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 2.5% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julrare
  8. Augnot usually seen
  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%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.7% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.0% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.2% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.8% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Champaign CountyBest late May · 114 checklists that week, 2,549 in all7.7%
  2. Geauga CountyBest early June · 811 checklists that week, 43,812 in all6.9%
  3. Defiance CountyBest late May · 47 checklists that week, 1,801 in all6.5%
  4. Richland CountyBest early June · 226 checklists that week, 19,346 in all6.3%
  5. Lucas CountyBest late May · 5176 checklists that week, 152,906 in all5.3%
  6. Trumbull CountyBest early June · 324 checklists that week, 21,066 in all5.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Eldon Russell ParkGeauga County, best early June · 65 checklists that week, 1,180 in all44%
  2. River BluffsFranklin County, best the second week of June · 40 checklists that week, 933 in all28%
  3. Jackson BogStark County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 333 in all27%
  4. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Jaite)Cuyahoga County, best the second week of June · 39 checklists that week, 859 in all23%
  5. Magee Marsh Wildlife AreaLucas County, best early June · 137 checklists that week, 22,210 in all22%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Alder Flycatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 1.2% of 43093 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 142017 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 205296 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 196322 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 170882 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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%0.4%2.7%3.0%
June1.2%0.8%0.5%0.2%
July0.1%0.1%0.2%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
October0%0%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives mid May, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives mid May, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Pennsylvania: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Ohio

Common questions

When do Alder Flycatchers arrive in Ohio?
Alder Flycatchers mostly pass through Ohio: they arrive in the second week of May, peak in late May (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Alder Flycatchers leave Ohio?
Most Alder Flycatchers have left Ohio by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Alder Flycatcher in Ohio?
The Alder Flycatcher is reported most often in late May, on about 2.5% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Alder Flycatchers seen most often?
By county, Champaign County, Geauga County, and Defiance County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Alder Flycatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).