Spotted Flycatcher/Chiffchaff

On a very warm day this week I went for a local walk.

Recently there has not been many opportunities to observe birds on the local routes, but this day was different.

I was walking up a track that leads to a Farm and looking up at this bare tree I observed a lot of bird activity. I stood in the welcome shade of the next tree and observed two Spotted Flycatchers and at least two Chiffchaffs. They were flying out and catching flies and returning to the branches, a habit particularly known of the Flycatcher. I was there for over and hour shooting images, many of which were not much use as the birds were to high and the angle was wrong. These birds are frantically feeding up before their migrating night flight South over the English channel.

Spotted Flycatcher

 

Chiffchaff

This particular Chiffy below looks to be a first year bird as the yellow marking behind the beak and close to the eye is a good sign that it is a first year bird.