Wednesday 30 June 2010

Spotted Flycatchers and Fledglings

Today (Tuesday 29th) at about 9.00 a.m., 4 very well fed young Spotties left their nest. The nest at the other end of the house is still about a week behind.

The interesting thing is that last year the 3 nests in my garden only had one brood (every other year 2) and not many fledged so it looks like good survival in Africa and on migration.

Tying in with comments from David Price and Ian Morris, I’ve also found two nesting pairs in my timed tetrads in South Ceredigion both nesting in ivy clad trees. I usually fail to find any.

Furthermore most observers are saying that their local pairs arrived 2 to 3 weeks late. Will they have time to rear second broods?

Other fledglings in the garden now are Willow Warblers, Redstarts, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, House Sparrows, Robins, Song Thrushes, Dunnocks, Wrens, GSWS and Blackbirds.

Philip Ellis