The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Southrey Wood Spotted Flycatchers have now fledged, 4 young.

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http://birdmanbirds.blogspot.com/

Further to Russell's post of 7th August ( and report-wise Russell, along with Hugh Dorrington, has been a leading Spotted Flycatcher champion this summer ), it is worth noting for data purposes and for future reference that no fewer than 9 Lincolnshire Spotted Flycatcher pairs (to date) will have successfully seen their young to the fledging stage, and beyond, since mid-July and into August.....not including web UNREPORTED birds.

It looked in the dismal weather days leading up to mid-July that 2012 Spotfly breeding in Lincs could be in terminal dire straits. However, we've since had young in the nest/fledged young/juveniles reported at :

19 July - Marston STW (juvenile)
22 July - Spridlington (fledged)
24 July - Brampton (young in nest - fledged 26 July)
25 July - West Torrington (juvenile(s))
31 July - Cleethorpes (fledged)
01 August - Grimsthorpe (young in nest)
04 August - Willingham by Stow (fledged)
07 August - Dunsby (young in nest - due to fledge any day now)
07 August - Southrey Wood (fledged).

Freddy

Woodhall Spa - 9th August
On 9th August 2011, Robert Carr had a pre-migration group of 5 or 6 Spotted Flycatchers near Coronation Hall, Spa Road, Woodhall Spa (which I saw later in the day) AND another mini-group of 3 SpotFlys at the Green Lane/Stixwould Road junction (which I failed to see later in the day).

So, it made sense to revisit both hotspots a year later (to the day). After a visit to Swanpool for migrants (09.15 - 10.15).....with only a Green Woodpecker calling in flight and NO migrants seen at all.....I drove on to Woodhall Spa where I spent well over 2 hours concentrating on the 2 known hotspots.

a. Coronation Hall area.
There was nothing to report in the immediate area of Coronation Hall or the Kinema or the Teahouse in the Woods area but en route to the Dowager House Hotel (a planned break for refreshments), I bumped a pair of Spotted Flycatchers feeding about 200 yards from the Coronation Hall along Manor Road. From the way they were feeding over gardens (incl. perching on a TV aerial) and then regularly visiting the upper branches of 2 separate tall trees with beakfuls of insects, they were clearly feeding juveniles. Although I spent about an hour watching them, every time they went deep into the thick foliage of the tall trees, I just couldn't spot a juvenile. On one occasion, I saw a bird moving along an upper branch.....and it turned out to be a Nuthatch (the first I've seen for some months) ....a 'good' bird to see but at the time I wished it had been a juvenile Spotted Flycatcher.

b. At the Green Lane/Stixwould Road junction, at another end of Woodhall Spa, I had immediate luck.....a Spotted Flycatcher was perching on one of the many wires in the front garden of the house on the right as you turn into Green Lane from Stixwould Road. It was soon joined by a second adult, also flycatching from the wires and the house aerials. Both adults were disappearing into trees in the back garden of the house with their insect prey, but again I couldn't spot any juveniles.

So, having gone to Woodhall Spa in the hope of sighting a pre-migration group or two, I ended up seeing 2 separate pairs feeding (hidden) juveniles......but no complaints.

Freddy

Spotted Flycatcher group in Woodhall Spa - Sun 19th August

I was contacted by Robert Carr at c.5.00 this afternoon and he informed me he had come across a group of c. half a dozen Spotted Flycatchers in the Coronation Hall area of Woodhall Spa. I needed little extra encouragement to set off for the location site which I had previously visited several times. Although there was some rain early on my journey (and late on my return journey), as I arrived at Coronation Hall at 5.45pm, the sun was shining and continued to shine for most of my visit.

It took very little time for me to note the bird activity going on around the Hall. The main action was in the two front gardens opposite the Hall including the flanking tall trees and the TV aerials. In all, I spent an hour watching the Spotted Flycatchers feeding and flying around the area. After a time, I had noticed a further 3 SpotFlys feeding from the tall trees well to the rear of the two houses providing the main action.

After much checking and counter-checking of numbers, I concluded that there were 5 or 6 adults and 3 clearly identifiable juveniles in the area. I had to check each 'bird movement' carefully as in addition to the Spotted Flycatchers there were 3 Chaffinches mimicking them ( including some unexpected quite skilful aerial manoeuvres a la flycatcher),and even some Great Tits and Blue Tits were in flycatcher mode.

The activity lessened after 6.30 or so as the clouds built up but when I left at c.6.45 there was still an adult SpotFly perched on each of two neighbouring house TV aerials.

Many thanks to Robert for his prompt and thoughtful action in alerting me to the Spotted Flycatchers.
.................
For the purposes of future personal consolidated data and an easily accessed reference list, I should now include here :

a. Baumber - Wed 15th August, via Greg Roberts and Russ Telfer who had reported up to 8 Spotted Flycatchers in Baumber Churchyard on 14th August......see LBC Sightings :
I recorded 4 adults and 3 juveniles in "Baumber House" garden.

b. Riseholme - Thu 16th August, via Ian Birch who had reported 5 Spotted Flycatchers on 15th August......see LBC Sightings :
I recorded Ian Birch only.

Freddy

Freddy's got me on the Spot Fly bug, I checked out Hubbard's Hills, Louth this morning a bit earlier in the month than usual. At first it was quiet but as the sun came out Spot Fly's seemed to be everywhere, I counted a minimum of sixteen poss. much more. Also there were 2 juv. Goldcrest, Blackcaps and Goldfinch. it will be interesting to see if numbers increase or are they local breeders?
Geoff

Further to Geoff's post, I arrived at Hubbard's Hills, Louth just before 2.00pm in the sun this afternoon. I'm not sure which route Geoff took this morning, but I took the S entrance and walked along the path North following the stream, carefully searching the tall trees left and right for movement until I reached the N.carpark area at the Crowtree Lane entrance.....and I saw Jackdaws, Wood Pigeons and in one large meadow area probably c.150 sun-worshipping adults and children......but no Spotted Flycatchers at all. If Geoff had taken that route this morning then clearly the SpotFlys had dispersed elsewhere.

On my return walk, I noticed a promising grassy hill area stretching several hundred yards away to my right and virtually free of people. There were tall trees bordered by rows of bushes....and within 10 minutes I had come across 4 SpotFlys (incl.1 juvenile) feeding - incl a Meadow Brown - from the bushes, which were mainly Elder. High up in a nearby tree, another SpotFly was feeding from a bare branch. Slowly moving along the line of bushes, in due course I found 2 more SpotFlys feeding....making a grand total of 7. Geoff's total of 16+ certainly suggests another post-breeding/pre-migration group.

The hillside finally came to an end with a path going over a bridge only about 100 yards from the S entrance. I shall take that route in reverse order on my next visit.

Many thanks to Geoff for giving me the lead for the Hubbard's Hills Spotted Flycatchers. From what he says in his post, it very much looks as if Geoff has been bitten by the bug which causes SpotFly Fever......for which there is no known rapid cure, other than the temporary one of actually watching another SpotFly in action. The problem will then become especially acute when all the SpotFlys have left for Africa......in a few weeks time : days, even weeks, of rest, recuperation and care are required. I did read somewhere that a complete cure IS available...... listening to the soft trilling of a flock of Bombycilla garrulus.....but that's another story.

For the purposes of future personal consolidated data and an easily reference list, I should include here :
Riseholme - 21st August....as per LBC Sightings (via Ian Birch's post) -

I recorded 1 adult and 1 juvenile Spotted Flycatcher........ Including today's visit to Hubbard's Hills, my total sightings to date ( singletons, pairs, breeding pairs, post-breeding/pre-migration groups) are........ 35.

Freddy
PS.............make that 36 with today's sighting of 5 Spotted Flycatchers at Swanpool today, 24th August : see LBC Sightings 'Swanpool' 24 August
PPS...........make that 37 with today's sighting of 5 probably 6 Spotted Flycatchers at Swanpool today, 26th August : see LBC Sightings 'Swanpool' 26 August.

The 2 adults and 2 juveniles were busy feeding yesterday and today in Willingham churchyard.

Also present yesterday was treecreeper with Great Tits and a Swift circling over.

Ian's post is interesting and welcome news. The Willingham pair's first brood was predated by a Grey Squirrel in late June - the gardener of the neighbouring house described to Dean Nicholson how he saw the Squirrel running along the garden/church wall with half the nest and a young flycatcher in its mouth.

The (presumed same) pair was seen in the Churchyard soon afterwards and later the (presumed) male on his own there several times (including Ian's sighting of 9th July and my own of 22nd July) with hopefully the female on eggs and later newly hatched young : confirmed by Ian's seeing 2 adults and 2 fledged young feeding there on 4th August.

Now, nearly 4 weeks later, especially with the same 2x2 combination, it looks as if the same 2 adults and 2 juveniles may well have stayed in the general Church or Willingham area, to reappear in the Churchyard yesterday and today. It all looks like another example of what a resilient and tenacious breeder Muscicapa striata really is. It echoes the rigid and dogged determination of the Dunsby pair of Spotted Flycatchers, eulogised in my "Multiple Jeopardy" post on Bird Chat in July, to produce the next generation, whatever the weather, whatever the disaster! : ie. highlighting the unforgiving and hostile environment in which these endearing small central/southern African migrants live out their brief lives....especially in their attempts to breed successfully despite such setbacks as the vicious predators, and despite the atrocious weather. Yes, the Willingham pair managed to triumph against the odds in the end.

Freddy

Fillingham Cowfields Spotted Flycatchers

Dean Nicholson reported recently that 7+ and then 10+ Spotted Flycatchers were at the Fillingham cowfields (plus VERY large Bull) during the period 24th-28th August. Hearing the news in the evening of the 28th, I went early on the 29th, arriving there at 07.30.....but the birds had departed during the clear night 28th/29th.

However, I reasoned that the Fillingham cowfields are a very similar habitat to the Swanpool cowfields where SpotFly stopovers continue well into the first week of September. As a result of that 'logic', I revisited the Fillingham cowfields this morning from 11.30. In the hedgerow at the far end of the second field (the bull and the cows were in shade in the 3rd field!) I came across 3 then 4 Spotted Flycatchers feeding. I stayed well over an hour and after a time I had noticed 2 more feeding at the top of an Ash Tree to the left, plus what I took to be a 7th at the top of the hedge to my left (with the 4 still straight ahead on the outside of bushes). I am sure there were 7 in all but, allowing for a counting error, there were certainly 6. The group included just 1 juvenile which regularly perched close to an adult, although it was feeding itself.

I had hoped for 1 or 2 trickle-through SpotFlys and I was amazed at the total of c.7. I also saw in the same area 2 Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat and several Goldfinches, plus 2 Buzzards circling, one being mobbed by a Hobby. Brilliant!!

Freddy
PS. .....perhaps the 7+, the 10+ and my 7 were all different groups constituting c. 24 different birds ?? Certainly, the 10+ and my 7 were separate groups and the original 7+ may have stayed only a day or two. Dean Nicholson is also thinking along those lines.

4 site Tour of Spotted Flycatcher Inland Post-breeding/Pre-migration Hotspots - Sun 2nd September

The last 10 days of August and the first 10 days of September cover the period of maximum activity at most known inland post-breeding/pre-migration hotspots in Lincolnshire. As we are now right in the middle of that period, I thought I would visit 4 hotspot sites today.

1. Swanpool Cowfields, Lincoln. A regular site where I had 5 SpotFlys on 24 Aug and 6 on 26 Aug, with Andy S. also having short-stayers on 21 and 30 Aug. However this morning (10.30 - 11.00) the cowfield bushes remained totally undisturbed by SpotFlys, although I did have a good view of a female Redstart.

2. Fillingham Cowfields (11.20 - 12.05). A newly-discovered site for me, via Dean Nicholson. I visited it on 29 Aug and dipped on the 10+ SpotFlys which had departed overnight 28/29 Aug; and again on 31 Aug where I connected with 7 SpotFlys, incl 1 juvenile. Today, it took little time to locate some more SpotFlys, feeding from a hedgerow just inside the 3rd cowfield......3 adults and 1 juvenile.....plus a couple of Chiffchaffs and 1 Willow Warbler. The resident Bull was in the 4th field but I did catch him eyeing me a couple of times which a. made me feel a little uneasy and b. hastened my departure. (Dean Nicholson and Nicola also visited early pm and also recorded 3 adults and 1 juvenile)

3. Linwood Warren, Market Rasen (12.45 - 1.35)
I had 2 successful visits to Linwood Warren last year....connecting with a probable 10, possibly 11 on 31 Aug (via Stuart Britton) and a definite 6, probably 7 on 3rd September. On my arrival today, I met up with 4 maintenance volunteers inside the first open area....and I was informed that some Spotted Flycatchers were definitely around. Within 15 minutes , I had tracked down a group flycatching in the strip of woodland (mainly conifers), running parallel to the road and about 200 yards from the entrance. As so often happens with a group of SpotFlys, at first you see 1 or 2 , then another couple or so and then even more. It happened like that this morning, until I was satisfied that there were something like 8 in the area, including just 1 juvenile. The nature of the Pine Trees prevented an absolutely accurate figure being obtained but 8 was my feeling......plus around with the SpotFlys, were Willow Warbler, Chaffinches and Titmice.

4. Hubbard's Hill, Louth (2.00 - 3.00pm).
Another new site for me this year after Geoff Williams reported 16+ there on 23rd Aug and I visited later in the day and saw 7. As planned, I walked in the reverse order of my 23rd Aug visit by taking the bridge over the stream near the S. entrance and moving along the top of the hill slope, scanning the trees and bushes. I eventually reached the Sun-worshippers meadow with more than a hundred devotees, not far from the Crowtree entrance.....having seen a Blackbird, a Song Thrush and many Wood Pigeons. I was mentally preparing for a "nil return" as I made my way back along the stream path to the Carpark.....BUT.... I came to an 'open area' of some 50 - 100 yards and there, very high up in the topmost bare branches of an enormous tree a Spotted Flycatcher was flying up vertically and feeding......and a second bird soon appeared. Brilliant. ......I was then able to enjoy my garage-bought sandwich and fizzy drink in the Hubbard's Hill Carpark.

So, 3 out of my 4 sites delivered and I am confident Swanpool will again 'ere long. With today's sightings my consolidated list reads :

39. 2nd September: Fillingham Cowfields...3 adults and 1 juvenile
40. 2nd September: Linwood Warren..........7 adults and 1 juvenile
41. 2nd September: Hubbard's Hills.............2 adults.

Freddy

Hi all. A pleasant post-dinner stroll was capped off with a lone Spotted Flycatcher in Wyberton Churchyard around 7pm this evening.

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"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue."

Patch YTD: 155

More Spotted Flycatchers at Fillingham Cowfields - Wed 5th September

After drawing a blank at Swanpool Cowfields this morning 8.00 - 9.00 (my 5th consecutive SpotFly dip there since recording 6 Spotted Flycatchers in the cowfield hedges on Sun 26th August), I went on to the Fillingham Cowfields ..9.20 - 10.30.

The SpotFly action there this morning was in the 3rd cowfield (with the cattle - incl. the Bull - in the 4th field), mainly on and under a c.50 yard stretch of tall Willows going right down to the Lake, and nearby Hawthorns. I was there not far short of an hour and I recorded :

6 Spotted Flycatchers - 4 adults, 2 juveniles
2 Willow Warblers
Chiffchaff
Goldfinches
Greenfinches
Titmice (LT, Great, Blue).

The Spotted Flycatchers were very active with a lot of interaction with one another, plus a fair amount of mild 'harassing' of the Willow Warblers.

These inland groups will not continue much longer and the main action will now move to the traditional coastal locations where up to 10 - 20+ Spotted Flycatchers are regularly reported during September. Northern birds appear to move down the West coast of Britain and cross to northern France from Cornwall. It is more likely that Midlands birds cross the Channel from Dorset eastwards. Many of the Lincolnshire coastal sites stopover birds in September will be Scandinavian SpotFlys making their way South. Spotted Flycatchers do not put on large amounts of fat reserves before migrating, unlike most long-distance migrants which build up their fat reserves before flying considerable distances in one go. SpotFlys feed up and then move in relatively short 'hops', hence their often only staying a day or two at their inland stopover locations where sufficient food is readily taken in that time bracket. This method of short 'hops' must considerably reduce their rate of progress but may have other advantages since feeding on insects, they stop over and feed even in deserts (where they have been recorded) whereas other long-distance migrants relying on fat reserves will attempt to overfly the desert at one go....and don't always make it.

Freddy

I revisited Hubbard's Hills this afternoon but couldn't find a single Spot Fly so maybe passage is over here or perhaps the cold northerly wind put them off? There was very little passage at Pyes Hall as well.
Geoff

Yet more Spotted Flycatchers At Fillingham Cowfields - Fri 7th September

I got up early to go to the Fillingham Cowfields again this morning (Fri) and happened to log on c.7.00am......and there as the main Lincs news headline was "Gas leak in Fillingham leads to homes evacuation"....plus 'a 600m exclusion zone has been placed around the village'.........apparently a tractor had managed to cut the main local gaspipe, leading to a sound "similar to a jet engine, as the gas hissed out under pressure." I thought, as you do, why, of all the hundreds of villages in Lincolnshire, had fate chosen Fillingham. Anyway, I checked the 'accident' date and it was Wed 5th September.....so I reasoned it was probably all mended and settled by this morning (actually, not true).
I decided (again) to go via Swanpool, where I arrived c.8.00am. Bright sunshine, no wind.....and no migrants either, except for the occasional Swallow overhead.

When I arrived at Fillingham just after 9.00, there was still a lot of police and National Grid presence but, fortunately, mainly at the opposite end of the village to the Cowfields.

As I climbed over the stile into the first field, I noticed a flurry of activity in the bushes straight ahead and to my left. Sure enough, 2 Spotted Flycatchers darted out and back. Within 10 minutes or so, I had counted 5 - 7(?) in the area......a good 300 yards from where the 5th September group had been feeding. I decided to check the other fields and bushes just in case more migrants were there.....but I drew a blank and returned to the first field. The Spotted Flycatchers had now moved into yet another large field well to the right of the stile (if one were departing) (and one I had hardly visited before) and were busy feeding from the back of the hedge where I had first seen them, plus from a nearby solitary Willow rooted in a shallow pond and from a lone, low ancient Apple Tree laden with sweet (VERY sweet ) apples, 20 yards past the Willow. As the group had now split up, I was able to count 3 in the Willow/Apple Trees and 4 on the hedge.....making 7, all adults as far as i could determine.

This is the latest of a remarkable run of Spotted Flycatcher records at Fillingham Cowfields, which I had never visited until 29th August :

24th August - 7+ (Dean Nicholson)
28th August - 10+ incl at least 4 juveniles (DN).....departed by 29th August when I (FJ) visited
31st August - 6 ads, 1 juv (FJ)
2nd September - 3 ads, 1 juv (FJ and DN)
5th September - 4 ads, 2 juvs (FJ)
7th September - 7 ads (FJ).

Dean Nicholson and I tend to think that these COULD all be different groups as inland Spotted Flycatcher groups (plus ones and twos) usually only stopover for a day or two before moving on ( a time bracket also noted at Swanpool Cowfields). Some factor or other at Fillingham must act as a strong magnet to draw so many Spotted Flycatcher groups to use these fields as a stopover. Is it, for whatever reason, on a 'traditional' migration route flyway where groups continue to stopover to feed up for a day or two? Does the nearby large Lake play any part in that migration route flyway navigation? One wonders where the previous stopover was and where the next one will be.

The Fillingham records this autumn are all the more remarkable when one considers that the other (known) Lincs inland cowfield stopover site , Swanpool, has failed to deliver any Spotted Flycatcher group since 26th August (when I and others noted 5/6) - although Andy Sims saw 2 on 30th August (which I dipped on due to bad weather).

I stayed (enjoying what could well be the last/ one of my last inland sightings of Spotted Flycatchers this year) until c.10.30. Also seen this morning (incl.) :

Chiffchaffs - 2
Willow Warbler
Swallow (occasional)
Greenfinches
Goldfinches
Titmice
Mistle Thrush
Buzzard.

Freddy

Linwood Warren delivers again - Saturday 8th September

"Seek and Ye Shall Find" (Matthew 7:7).
Well, today I went seeking and I certainly found : 10+ Spotted Flycatchers at Linwood Warren including 2 juveniles.
I visited Linwood Warren last Sunday, 2nd Sep and I recorded 8 Spotted Flycatchers incl. 1 juvenile. Aidan Turner visited on Tue 4th Sep and recorded 4 SpotFlys. So, all in all, I thought it worth another visit today (Sat) although I was rather doubtful of a successful outcome.....but then, if no SpotFlys were seen, I could draw a line under 'Linwood Warren' and not visit again this autumn.

I arrived at c.12.45 in bright sunshine and as soon as I went through the 2nd entrance gate I could see "birds" in flight crisscrossing the track in front of me where the 'open area' begins. The signature flit-flight of the Spotted Flycatcher was soon in evidence but having 'safely' noted 3 UTB, I was totally unprepared for what followed : Spotted Flycatchers here, there and everywhere : to my left, with sooner or later 4 actually perched on the wire fence bordering the Wet Field; 2 or 3 flycatching from a stout Oak and a straggly Silver Birch just inside the Wet Field; a further 2 or 3 in a Birch straight ahead; plus 1 or 2 (incl. a juvenile which flitted from, and returned to, the same low branch area for a good half an hour) in the Pine Trees to my right. I had to be careful counting and recording as there were also Titmice, Willow Warblers and Chaffinches around but I am confident of the 10+ figure.

The strange sequel to this event was that by 1.30pm, virtually all the Spotted Flycatchers and circus companions had decamped into the belt of Pine Trees which runs parallel to the road. I trawled the first 100 yards or so from the entrance and they were certainly there in that stretch but more difficult to count because of the nature of the tree branches.

When I was leaving at c.2.15, there were still 3 or 4 around the Memorial and Display Boards area. As I returned to my car, an LWT old timer engaged me in conversation and informed me he had up to 20 birds in the Pines 'mid-week', with most of them being Spotted Flycatchers, plus some attendant Titmice, Warblers, etc. So, it looks as if my group of today has been around for a couple of days.

Clearly, the inland post-breeding/pre-migration hotspots at the moment are :

a.Fillingham Cowfields.

b. Linwood Warren
.....unless some lucky birder comes across a third inland site in the next few days.

However, I am a little worried by the distinct absence of Spotted Flycatcher reports so far this autumn from the traditional coastal passage sites, eg. Donna Nook, Pye's Hall, Grainthorpe Haven and Gibraltar Point. In most previous years by the end of the first week in September, there have been reports of groups, well into double figures, from at least 2 or 3 of those locations but this autumn there has only been a meagre trickle of singletons.....with a maximum one-off report of just 4 from Gib.Pt. on 26th August. In fact, this autumn there have been more Pied Flycatchers recorded on coastal passage than Spotted Flycatchers.

As so many of the coastal passage Spotted Flycatchers are stopover Scandinavian birds, I hope it doesn't mean a breeding disaster there. Let's hope they are just later this year.....time will tell......or, perhaps, for whatever reason (weather?) the Scandinavian birds this autumn are in the main flying due S. and giving Britain a miss.

Meanwhile, unexpectedly, a couple of mid-Lincs inland stopover sites continue to deliver.

Freddy