Spotted Flycatchers

The title should really have said Pied Flycatcher. I spent yet another session chasing around after a reported sighting of a Pied Flycatcher without getting even a glimpse of it and, in the end, not even being sure that it was ever there. The consolation, there were four or five Spotted Flycatchers and they were showing well.

The location was Church Norton and today for a change the birds were really showing well. There were the Spotties, Blackcap, Wheatear, Redstart, Kestrel, Wood Warbler which I did not manage to see, various Finches, Hirundines, and even a Red-legged Partridge in the field next to the Church. The downside, the lighting was really poor. Most of my pictures were at ISO800, f8, and around 1/80 sec, so most were failures. But, as always, there are a couple of reasonable shots amongst them.

Spotted Flycatcher

The Spotties seem to come down out of the tree tops towards the end of the day and use lower perches, in this case the gravestones, for their feeding forays. I assume they are just following the food.

Spotted Flycatcher and prey

Always interested to see what the photographers are doing

There were not many other birds in range of a photograph in the low light levels but this Wheatear did come down into the church yard and seemed to be copying the Spotted Flycatchers feeding techniques.

Wheatear.

Perhaps I should give up on the Pied Flycatcher for this year and head off to Wales next spring to get a male in full breeding plumage.