[obol] Alder Flycatchers in Oregon

[Jay Withgott]

OK, here are MY rules:

    (1) If you have a singing bird that sounds EXACTLY like an Alder 
Flycatcher song on the published recordings, it would be a real 
stretch to try to call it a Willow Flycatcher.

    (2) If you have a singing bird that is doing something that 
doesn't quite match with either the stereotypical Willow fitz-bew or 
the stereotypical Alder fwee-BEE-o, then it's either a Willow or 
should be left unidentified.

Although it's clear that we all hear these things differently (as is 
obvious from the 19 different spellings of these songs that have been 
advanced so far in this thread), I agree with Wayne that for someone 
with experience with these species, or who listens closely to the 
published recordings, these two songs are just not that difficult to 
tell apart, presuming the bird is singing its entire song.  In my 
time in the East, I don't recall ever having to chalk up a singing 
Willow or Alder as unidentified if I had heard its complete song. 
Willows show a fair range of variation, while I don't ever recall 
hearing an Alder that varied from its stereotypical song. If Willows 
are more variable in the PacNW, fine, but let's see the evidence.

I would agree that this is probably the biggest omission on the 
Oregon state list, and that many perfectly good Alders have no doubt 
gone unaccepted and unreported.  This is not to knock the OBRC for 
its conservatism -- I applaud them for it -- but I do think that at 
some point we start to run too overwhelming a risk of making a Type 
II error by not accepting records that sound exactly like Alders.  Or 
do I mean Type I error? I always get those confused....

Anyway, the bottom line is that we all should try to record these 
guys and get the recordings to someone like Arch who can get them 
properly analyzed.  I bought a cheap little digital recorder this 
winter for trips to the tropics for about 60 bucks at an electronics 
store. It's smaller than a cell phone and works great, and I intend 
to start carrying it with me on all birding trips.

Jay Withgott, Portland
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