Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum)

Vagrant ***

8th October  I don't usually write too much description to go with my photos, but for this occasion I feel the need to comment.  This bird was found on the 8th October 2008 at the seaward end of Nanjizal Valley.  It was thought to be an Alder Flycatcher, but Willow Flycatcher could enter the identification frame as well.  The two species are notoriously difficult to separate in the field, and to add to the confusion, Arcadian Flycatcher is also very similar.  All three species originate from the Eastern United States, so this little bird has had an epic flight across "The Pond"  Whichever way the identification pendulum swings, this is a first for Great Britain.  If it turns out to be Willow, it will be a first for the Western Palearctic region as well (an Alder has been seen in Iceland)  The 8th was a warm sunny day, the bird was actively feeding, but not always visible.  It never came within 40 yards of my camera and I was shooting into the sun, so the resulting photo is only a poor record shot.  If it stays, I hope to do better on Friday (10th) ........... watch this space! 

9th October  Owing to family commitments I could not return today, but I knew there would be a multitude of birders from all over the country descending on Nanjizal.  The bird did appear but it was rather elusive.  During the day misting nets were set up and after a while the bird was trapped and measurements taken of the wing shape, bill and tail, before being ringed and released to the wild again (apart from voice, it's the only way to split Willow from Alder).  I heard about the ringing through my pager, but held my breath for the next few few hours, when there were no more reports of the bird being seen.  It wasn't to be spotted until the late afternoon.

10th October  Up early this morning, but I still didn't beat the majority of birders to Nanjizel.  There must have been about a hundred of us peering for the slightest movements in the bracken.  Unfortunately for me and all the other birders present, the bird was not seen, which leads me to an enigmatic question ...... was it morally right to trap and ring this bird, for the sake of science, adding to the stress it had endured in its flight across the Atlantic,  or should we have let this bird alone and forever wondered its specific status?  Nobody can be entirely sure of its fate but there was a lot of disappointment here today and fingers are being pointed.  I didn't get my better photo!