Spotted Flycatcher

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It was great to see the first spotted flycatcher of the season yesterday. These little birds are becoming scarce nationally and we were fortunate to have had two pairs nesting close to the house last year. These birds are among the last of the migrants to arrive in summer and they overwinter in Africa. Flycatchers have a characteristic "Jizz" (birdwatcher speak for general impression and behaviour) in that they sit on a perch and then make a short flight to catch an insect and then return to the same perch. The birds in our garden tend to use the artificial terracotta nests that we put out to attract the swallows. These birds don't hang around for long - they raise a brood and go within about a couple of months. On the nest they defend the area and we have seen these little birds dive bombing great spotted woodpeckers that have strayed too close to their nests. Below is a picture of the eggs in last years nest.




                                                                                        Diary

Overnight cameras revealed a bedraggled fox but not much else. The wild flowers in our meadow are starting to struggle out. Bugle and crosswort are now in flower. It is still very cold for May!

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