By Sally Siko

Here’s a bird I was surprised to see while birding in eastern North Carolina yesterday, an Ash-throated Flycatcher!
The normal range for these little dynamos typically stretches from California to Texas so spotting one here on the east coast is a real treat.
I actually heard this bird calling out “ka-brick” before I found it so it was neat to zone in on that one patch of tall grass to finally get a photo after hearing it vocalize.

Aptly named, Ash-throated Flycatchers do indeed snack on flies. They’re also voracious eaters of all kinds of other insects such as grasshoppers, wasps, bees, cicadas, termites, moths, caterpillars, beetles, spiders and dragonflies.
As desert dwellers, water can be tough to find but that’s not a problem for them since they can get all the water they need from the insects which they consume. This unique dietary adaptation allows them to live in harsh dry environments where other species might not be able to thrive.
Here in NC, we’ve got plenty of water and insects which should carry this little one through the winter months if it chooses to stay.

Though the Ash- throated Flycatcher is not native to North Carolina, sightings of this “rare for the area” bird have been increasing in recent years.
It appears that a few individuals seem to favor the Alligator River NWR and the Pungo Unit as their winter destination of choice.
If I remember correctly, I think there were a pair of them sighted at the ARNWR back in 2022 which makes me wonder if this bird is one of the two which had visited before.
Generally, these flycatchers show up in late November with sighting reports dwindling by late February so my advice is to get out there as soon as you can to lay eyes on this feathered gem.
If you’d like to find bird for yourself, I’ve included a link of its exact location in this post.
Hope you get to see it too!

Photo by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5