I'd given up on Spotted Flycatcher this year! After countless attempts to find one failed, and with it now being in September, time was running out, so i came to the conclusion that i wont see one this year!
As im sure many locals may testify, in the Wyre Forest area, and maybe even in wider Worcester, they have been incredibly scarce, and therefore it was a shock while out on the patch that a mate had found one on the other side of the Bewdley-Stourport road, on Mount Pleseant! Only a few hundred metres off the edge of my patch!
So obviously i had to go!
We headed up there, seeing a flock of 10 Lapwing on the recently plowed field adjacent to the road. Reaching the upprmost 'reaches' of the hill, stands a small wood, and it took the entirity of 2 seconds to locate the SPOTTED FLYCATCHER perched on top of some ivy about 30ft away! Stupidly, my scope wasnt ready 'for action' and in the time it took me to get the tripod legs down, the Flycatcher dropped down , and never fully emerged at such close range!
The above photos shows how close the bird was, but it had already dropped into the bush, and was always partically hidden.
It was actually quite alot of activity in the wood, in particular around the one ivy bush which was similarly alive with insects! A LESSER WHITETHROAT, 2 CHIFFCHAFF and a nice bright yellow WILLOW WARBLER were seen in the time we were watching this single tree!
MB
2 comments:
Spot Flys are always welcome patch birds in my book Craig. Just don't get as many as I would like. Just one sighting of a one day bird at shenstone this year
Sadly, this bird was just off patch, but i was just very glad to see one after this summer!
They are good patch birds, and its quite supprising how scarce they have been this year!
MB
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