The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Another Spotted Flycatcher Red-Letter day today (Wednesday)....this can't go on !

The first visit was to the Fulbeck nesting pair. I could clearly see 3 young in the nest with heads raised as they were being fed by the adults, and there could well have been a 4th at the back. The (presumed) female brooded them for 10 minutes or so at one stage - there was a cool breeze blowing - all the while as people came and went, and even sat, perhaps only 6 feet away...they are obviously now VERY accustomed to human disturbance. Perhaps because of the people around, the adults perched with their beakful of insect(s) at a minimum of 15 feet, even 30 feet away from the nest and then flew straight onto the nest to feed the young. At other nest sites away from people, one often sees the adults momentarily perching 2 or 3 feet away from the young in the nest before feeding them.

From Fulbeck, I travelled on to the delightful village of Dunsby (near Bourne), where Hugh Dorrington had kindly invited me to tour the village with him (as per 2011) and revisit Spotted Flycatcher nests which he had located recently.

The first nest was on a trellis smothered in Roses in one of Hugh's neighbours' gardens. From a safe distance through binoculars we could make out 2 newly-hatched young in the nest, where there would also have been other young or perhaps eggs to hatch soon.

The second nest, perhaps 200-300 yards away, was also in a trellis, this time wreathed in Clematis, in more or less the very same spot where Hugh and I watched a pair of nesting birds last summer. The (presumed) female was sitting tight and didn't leave the nest during our short visit.

Another great afternoon with Hugh in Dunsby.....many thanks.

Freddy

Hugh Dorrington has discovered in Dunsby that all the young birds in one of his reported nests have died except for one.......clearly as a result of the lack of food and/or the wet and cold weather we've been having.

Other SpotFly nests will be affected and, of course, all species' young are in danger in this dreadful spring and summer weather.

Freddy
PS. My three-part 'article' on Spotted Flycatchers on the LBC BIRD CHAT section has now all been posted.......Comments are welcome on Bird Chat.

Thanks to Russell Hayes' excellent email direction instructions (incl. location photos and further info re nesting), I was able to connect with the pair of Spotted Flycatchers he had reported in Southrey Wood (near Bardney) on Sun !st July.

I was at the Oak Tree nest-site c.2.30pm today and, between the showers, I enjoyed some occasional sunshine for an hour or so. After a wait of c.30 minutes (not unusual before the eggs hatch), the (presumed) male appeared in the tree tops nearby. He was feeding as described in Part Three of my 'mini-monograph' : "foraging high up in the tree canopy, hovering by the leaves and moving about in the very tops of trees" : a specific feeding strategy in colder, wetter weather.

15 minutes later the (presumed) female arrived off the eggs and for a while they were moving around and feeding in the nearby trees together. Once the female had returned to the eggs in the nest, the male soon stopped feeding and remained high up in the trees out of sight.

Thanks, Russell, for the detailed info.

Freddy

They say, "Strike while the iron is hot." Further to Colin's and Sheila's post on 'More Spotted Flycatchers' this afternoon, Chris Wright emailed me his house address details in Potterhanworth and an invitation to watch the Spotted Flycatchers in his front garden.

Knowing how foul the weather forecast is for tomorrow and the weekend, and knowing that SpotFlys will feed their young quite late on a sunny evening (which it really was for once !), I arrived in Potterhanworth this evening at c.7pm. Not wanting to impose, I was able to watch, from the road area, the adult birds flycatching and flying to feed their fledged young in trees in the garden area and even on a chimney stack.

A truly enjoyable and unexpected sighting.

I have emailed Chris Wright my thanks.

Freddy

Sent in by Kevin Goodwin

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

It was most propitious (as far as I was concerned) that Chris Wright should get the Potterhanworth Spotted Flycatcher news onto our LBC website in time for me to view them (by invitation) yesterday evening before this present spell of dreadful weather set in.

One also appreciates Kevin Goodwin's thoughtfulness in sending us the 3 excellent photographs (one above) of a parent bird in a low aerial display in the Potterhanworth front garden.

Freddy

Correction to earlier posts:

Photo's of the Potterhanworth Spotted Flycatchers taken by Chris Wright not Kevin Goodwin.

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http://birdmanbirds.blogspot.com/

Phil Espin reported a Spotted Flycatcher in Edlington Churchyard (near Horncastle ) in June 2011, and following up his report a couple of days later, I found an adult feeding a young bird in the neighbouring gardens of Edlington Hall.

19 June 2012 - Further to the 2011 sightings, I decided to check out the Churchyard and Hall gardens but after a search of c. 45 minutes, there was nothing to report (NTR).

5 July 2012 - Russell Hayes reported an adult actively feeding from the Churchyard gravestones, plus finding the nest behind a dead creeper in a nearby tree.

7 July 2012 (today) - furnished with details of Russell's tree nest location, I arrived at c. 12.30 and soon located the nest. There were clearly no young in the nest as no 'active feeding' was going on......so presumably eggs. I watched the tree area, the nearby gravestones plus Edlington Hall gardens for some 30 minutes or so. I did see a Tree Creeper, Wren, Goldcrest, Greenfinch and some other 'usual' churchyard species but no SpotFly. Then the heavens opened, it poured with heavy rain, and thundered on/off for about half an hour; fortunately I was able to shelter in the large church porch overlooking the gravestones, and for company I had the former villagers who were "each in their narrow cell forever laid."

When the rain finally passed, I emerged from the porch ......and there sat on an upper branch of the nest tree with white breast shining in the new sunshine was an adult Spotted Flycatcher : patience and wet feet rewarded. After a few minutes of perching motionless, it disappeared amongst the thick foliage, and I left.
Thanks for the detailed info, Russell.

On my way back to BBH, I called in at the Potterhanworth front garden site. An adult Spotted Flycatcher soon appeared, perched and started flycatching, before disappearing into a tree with its beakful of insects......so, the Potterhanworth family hasn't yet moved away into neighbouring gardens and local hedges.

Freddy

On a visit with our French friends I found two pairs feeding young in the grounds of Burghley Park today. One nest in a mature Sweet Chestnut on the road from the House to the Lion Bridge and onother nest in the "eye" of a metal face in the Sculpture Park! Although the Estate is in Lincs, Northants, Rutland and Cambs I have, on good authority, that they are both in Lincs. Probably a bit too far for you, Freddy, though the admission price for Seniors is only £12! Seriously if any of the Forum readers have never been, it is well worth a visit.

Stuart,

Thanks very much for your informative post details re Spotted Flycatchers at Burghley Park.

By coincidence, last year, (5th August) following a similar SpotFly report from a contact friend, I spent several hours wandering around Burghley Park, including visiting the Lion Bridge and the Sculpture Park. Although I didn't connect with any Spotted Flycatchers, I totally agree with you that the Park is well worth a visit on its own merits......a wonderful day out.

If the weather picks up, I may well repeat that visit, sooner rather than later and....... hoping for some SpotFlys. Thanks for the timely reminder.

Freddy

Burghley House - Edenham - Dunsby - Marston STW

Today was a special Red-Letter Day to remember - 6 new sightings for me of which 5 were hot follow-up checks plus one surprise.

With the day's weather forecast as NO RAIN, it meant an ACTION DAY!.....the first possible for some time. I left BBH just before 7.00am, heading for Burghley Park - re Stuart Britton's recent post (Sun 08 July). I arrived there at 08.15 (it opens at 8.00), and I had the Park to myself until c. 09.30 when other cars started arriving. Stuart's No.1 nest-site was easy to discover - I took the road from the House towards the Lion Bridge. On the right, one soon comes to a group of 6 massive Sweet Chestnut Trees opposite a paddock. Sure enough, a SpotFly was flycatching under the trees and in the paddock and returning to one of the Sweet Chestnut Trees. Stuart's No.2 site was a disappointment - I soon discovered the large Metal Face in the Sculpture Park (you couldn't miss it).....however, the young had fledged in the meantime.....BUT nearby in the Sculpture Park a SpotFly was flycatching and flying into trees with its beakful of insects.....presumably Stuart's fledged young were there. I left Burghley Park just after midday after 4 hours of tramping around.



The next check site was re Russell Hayes' report of 2 Spotted Flycatchers at EDENHAM (Wed 11 July) : ST.MICHAEL'S and ALL ANGELS Churchyard on the A151 north of Stamford. I arrived there at c.12.30 and immediately saw a SpotFly on a gravestone just by the entrance to the churchyard : a real bonus when searching for Spotted Flycatchers. I watched the one (possibly 2) flycatching around the entrance, particularly around a massive Yew Yree (possible nest site ?). As chance would have it, the Vicar came towards me on his way to the village. I commented on the Spotted Flycatchers and he said, "Oh! We've got another pair nesting in the Vicarage Garden - go through, the gate is open!"..Sure enough, I tracked down a second pair, both flycatching in a corner of the (vast) Vicarage Garden....mainly active from an ancient Aspen-type tree with an oversized trunk....and it was in the trunk, about 25 feet up, that the nest was located.

Hugh Dorrington informed me yesterday that he had discovered another nest in Dunsby and he gave me full location details. As Dunsby is only a few minutes' drive from Edenham, that was my next destination. I parked c. 10 feet from a gate beyond which the nest was located a further 15 feet in, hidden in the dead Ivy creeper wrapped around a massive Redwood Tree. Within 2/3 minutes, a Spotted Flycatcher landed on the gate (I had remained in my parked car) with its beakful of insects en route to the nest. A second adult was also actively feeding the young in the nest. The adults, when perched only 10 feet in front of me, were the closest views I had all day.

The final destination was a 'shot in the dark'. Yesterday evening, c.9.00pm, Dave Roberts, Grantham birder, had sent me a web message re his having seen an adult SpotFly feeding a fledgling at Marston STW...."The birds were just on the Main Track, adjacent to the Scrape in a mature Ash." So, on my way back from Dunsby to BBH, I diverted onto the A607 and then to Marston STW., arriving c.2.50pm. As I walked along the track towards the Ash Tree, an adult SpotFly flew out flycatching. I stayed around the area until 3.30pm, by which time I had seen the adult flycatching Scrape-side of the track and also Track-side; a 'clumsy' attempt at flycatching by the fledgeling...unlike the slick and competent jizz of the adult; the fledgeling perched in the solitary Ash Tree fluttering its wings as the adult fed it.

So, all in all, a great day's checking out recent Spotted Flycatcher reports, with the Vicar's second nest a real bonus.

Many thanks to those birders who had posted their original reports.

Freddy

Wolds Tour - Sun 15th July

Such are the vagaries of Spotted Flycatcher searching : on 12th July, I went for 6 and achieved 6 sightings; today (15th July), with my 31 year-old son, Alex, on a break from his piracy-watch duties in the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea, we went for 6 on a 6-hour tour of the Wolds......and I achieved 1 new sighting !

In all, (villages incl.churchyards) we visited Tealby, Swinhope (near Binbrook), Haugham (near Louth), Ruckland, Farforth and Oxcombe where in 2011 I'd had 5 sightings in all. The only success was in Tealby in the large garden opposite the entrance to the Church Carpark - an adult Spotted Flycatcher was performing well.

We also visited the Horncastle Trinity Church nest-site where I found a pair feeding their chicks in the nest on 26th June : as expected, the nest was empty, the young had fledged and flown.

Freddy
PS. The Tealby sighting brings my total (different sites) 2012 sightings - singletons...pairs...nesting birds...up to 20.

Adult and juvenile still close to the Ash tree at Marston STW this afternoon.

David

That's an interesting report, David. Dave Roberts first reported them on 11th July in the area of the lone Ash Tree on the main track and I then saw them there on 12th July. With the adult and juvenile still there on 19th July, it means a total stay of at least 8 days . As no Spotted Flycatchers were reported as breeding at Marston STW this year, we can assume they probably arrived from the nearby Marston village area....interesting evidence perhaps that the adult and juvenile, having left the presumed breeding area, are not constantly moving around from one area to another....to another. It also means that the adult is not engaged in raising another brood with his/her mate.

Freddy

I was fortunate enough today to have 2 more Spotted Flycatcher sightings.....

First, Dunsby : Hugh Dorrington had informed me that the pair of Spotted Flycatchers, which had lost all their young in the nest but for 1 (later fledgling) in the bad weather, had relocated across the road, built a new nest and the female was brooding eggs.

Within a few minutes of arriving in Dunsby at the nest site (in a dense creeper on a house wall), I had excellent views of both the female, taking a break from her brooding duties, and also the male. Several times he perched in an Apple Tree about 20 yards or so from the nest, but then flew across a field c.100 yards to an area with tall trees to flycatch....before returning to his perch in the Apple Tree : interesting behaviour, especially as I could see plenty of flying insects around the Apple Tree. ( Nice to meet up with you and your wife. Hugh. )

From Dunsby, I thought I'd try my luck in the nearby village of Kirkby Underwood, which has an interestingly located Church down a track well away from the village. There were no Spotflys in the Churchyard but I located a Little Owl peering down at me from a wall cavity in the Church Tower. I spent some time dawdling in the village itself, checking large gardens of large houses.....and, sure enough, in due course I located a SpotFly criss-crossing an immaculate lawn, flycatching......just as a Bentley swept up behind me into a neighbouring house parking area ! ( that reminded me : once again, I had missed out on Friday's massive Euromillions prize )

I then went on to my final destination....Irnham village, where Dave Roberts had reported SpotFlys last week.....but nothing to report. However, I found the Church and "The Hall" area most interesting and I spent a couple of pleasant hours there in the welcome sunshine.

Freddy