(There was a clue in the heading)
The Spotted Flycatcher is one of my target birds about this time of year.
I found three yesterday sitting high in Hawthorn bushes on exposed perches sunning themselves.
This species spends the Winter in Central and Southern Africa. It arrives in this country in May, usually one of the last summer migrators to arrive. Oddly for some inexplicable reason we don't get to see many Spotted Flycatchers in this part of Northern East Anglia on their arrival in May. However, we can be reasonably sure to see them on their Southern route at this time of year.
This group were no doubt stopping off for a few days and fuelling up before their next leg of the journey. They may then stop off at the Southern coastline for another fuelling session before the flight over the English channel to France or Northern Spain. I find the idea of bird migration quite fascinating.
As their name suggests they catch and eat flies and are expert at doing so. They will fly out from the perch, grab a fly and land back on the same perch. This goes on for as long as they continue to feed.
Hopefully I will find more in the next few days and get some better shots, but time is marching on.
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"Charming - thanks a lot for your assistance"
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Good morning Roy
ReplyDeletethat was a great find for you and what a beautiful little bird. She modeled very well for you as the shots are great.
Hi Margaret, thanks.
DeleteCharming little bird! How lucky you were to find them! If you missed them, you'd feel incomplete all fall!
ReplyDeleteYes I was lucky that morning.
DeleteHij zit daar heerlijk tussen de besjes .
ReplyDeleteIk was blij om hem te zien Nic
DeleteSome models can be hard to work with Roy!
ReplyDeleteGreat find, at least you managed to bag a couple of cracking images before losing the sitters attention!...[;o)
Thanks Trevor. Yes they are highly strung, these models.{:))
DeleteThis is another wonderful set of images. It is pretty amazing that many of your birds have to get across the Med and then the Sahara.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve.
DeleteHello Roy,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great sighting!
I have never seen this little guy myself!
Brilliant shots and a very interesting reading!
And yes, bird migration is something quite puzzling and awesome, I agree. Yet, within some species, some groups tend now to give up on these long and tiring trips.
Cheerio, keep well!
Thanks Noushka.
DeleteYes I don't understand why a lot of african wintering species just don't stop off down you way and not bother to travel all the way to UK.?
Hi roy
ReplyDeleteI loved the shot of the cows in the header, the flycatcher photos were quite nice I really enjoyed the grey bird against the red berries and blue sky.
All the best.
Guy
Hey Roy... What a little charmer sitting all pretty amongst the hawthorn fruit!!
ReplyDeleteLovely shot's, but migration I know is happening, but I just posted butterflies and will continue to, until I run out of photo's of them!! : )!! Of course I will be shooting migrating birds though!! : )
Grace
Thanks GG, we will soon get some wintering types.
DeleteA chap' s got to stock up for a long journey you know! No time to pose for photos:) Think the swallows have gone from Shorts Lane now, they were there a couple of days ago but no sign of them this morning. Really like your header photo.
ReplyDeleteThanks D. Yes I have seen a few stragglers still flying about flycatching over water this week.
DeleteA bird that I've never had. Before the lens
ReplyDeleteVery nicely photographed and especially the first two photos.
Thanks Helma.
DeleteSuperb photos Roy :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks David.
DeleteAlways neat to see a bird you don't get to see much. You got some great shots of it. I wonder if birds take different routes coming and going. I see migrants in the spring, that I don't see return through us in the fall.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary, I think some are creatures of habit, but probably its hit and miss most of the time.
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