The Lincolnshire Bird Club

You could charm the birds from the trees Freddy!

Incidentally, although we should be delighted to see you, don't waste your time looking for Spotted Flycatchers in our neck of the woods. Not a single nest in Grasby this year, and none that I know of in the adjacent village.

Regards,
Roy

Roy,
So many of the traditional Spotted Flycatcher sites seem to be 'empty' this year.....it's very disheartening.... but there is continuing good news from Riseholme College, near Lincoln. Last year the nest was predated (probably by Squirrels) and I know Ian Birch ( who confirmed the nest site again this year ) has worries about the well-being of this year's brood. So far, so good....I visited the nest site again today, Sun 3.45 - 4.30pm, and all was well, with the adult birds working hard in the sun to feed their hungry brood in the nest.

It was nice to meet up again with Terry and Eileen Corlett ( near the Church ).

Freddy

There were two spotted flycatchers along the road by the recording studio and church at South Thoresby today - I was not able to follow up to see if there was a nest site.

At Gib, two old territories remain vacant again this year, despite no appreciable habitat change.

There used to be spot flys at Boston Cemetary but have not heard anything recently.

Cheers

Kev

Freddy

I haven't read all of this thread (sorry!) so not sure if you already know, but you may be interested to hear that the pair of Spotted Flys at Doddington Hall (behind the shop) are now feeding young. They're nesting in an old Walnut tree in the garden of the house that a couple of years ago I'm sure was an antiques shop?!

Cheers

Grahame

Freddy et al.

So far no sign at any of the regular places at RAF Waddington!!

Matt Strahan works at the Met office in a prime location which I was guaranteed to find Sfly's for year's but no luck the past couple. Eventually found one in approx the regular area, last year at the end of July/start of Aug but in the regular(6/7) areas no luck. I used to watch around a dozen juv's being taught to flycatch next to the old fire training area on the airfield itself. I start back at work on thurs and no chance to find anything because of the aaaaaaaairshow. So will report back next weekend, if I can find any next weekend or maybe Matt can beat me too them!!!!!

All the best.

Brian.

Thanks, Grahame, re your Doddington Sp Fly post. That private garden is a 'traditional' site and I recorded nesting Sp Flys there in 2009 and 2010 plus the Walnut tree site just in from the gate on 28th May this year (LBC report), when a Sp Fly was gathering nesting material.

The house was indeed an antiques outlet in 2009 and when I revisited the site last year ( May 2010 ),I was unaware of its having closed down and I wandered quite blissfully around the (now private) garden....fortunately I wasn't spotted, except by the Spotted Fly, of course.
I must call in again and see the young birds..but remember to stay around the gate area.

Freddy
PS. How about a Whisby Sp Fly after a Whisby Sp Sand ? (......who'd have thought a Sp Sand would appear first in 2011 ! ) and Whisby is so nice and close to Bracebridge Heath.

Spotted flycatchers here at Riseholme college are doing well with 3 chicks close to fledging.
We have in the past had 2-3 pairs - I will do a check around and about here to see if we can muster a second pair.

Ian Birch

Good news, a family party of fledged Spotted Flycatchers in Hoplands Wood LWT reserve near Alford this morning, which upgrades the status in TF47 from probable to confirmed breeding, so thats now 8 out of 19 in East Lincs.

I have come across Spotted Flycatchers in three places away from parks and churches this spring: at Beesby in TF29 (probably two territories about 300m apart, in broad-leaved woodland on a steep slope), at 'Middle Rasen Plantation' in TF19 (singing bird, with Western Hemlock & Oak either side of an unmade road), and at Nettleton Moor in TA00 (pair feeding fledged young in mature pine with understorey including some rhododendron). Though not consecrated, all three places have the character of Perpendicular or Gothic cathedrals with tall trunks rising largely uninterrupted (limited understorey) to variously narrow or broadly pointed arches of branches, with plenty of echoing space for flycatching.

These were all in 10km squares already with confirmed breeding in the Atlas. In northern Lincolnshire (from the 900 grid line northwards and including squares partly in Notts & Yorks), there are confirmed records in 10 out of 26 squares, a similar proportion to Phil's - but there must be more to be found...

Has anyone tried Tealby recently? Ten years ago it was stuffed with them.

Andrew

I called in at the Doddington Hall Sp Fly site this morning (Tue) 10.45 - 11.15. The young were being fed regularly in the nest in the Walnut Tree - the nest appears to be at the base of a sawn-off/broken-off thick branch behind an attached clump of bark 20 feet or so from the ground.

Thanks for the timely reminder to visit, Grahame.

Freddy

Great views of a pair of Spotted Flycatchers today (Wed) feeding their chicks in a nest in a pear tree against a wall in a private garden in North Kelsey Moor.
Thanks again, Roy, for arranging it all.

Freddy

Further to Russell Hayes' post 'Out and about 1/7/11', I visited Linwood Warren early afternoon today (Sat). Thanks for the Sp Fly nest location, Russell.

When approaching the nest site, I was surprised to see an adult Sp Fly flycatching and scoffing the lot. The nests I've seen recently have all had hungry chicks and adult Sp Flys have had beakfuls of insects. I observed the nest site from a distance for just under an hour. Earlier on, the two adults were together around the nest-hole which was about 8 ft up in a tree stump. One bird then entered the nest-hole and stayed there while the other flew off. There was now no activity at all around the nest-hole for a good half an hour or so (when I left)......unlike all the other nests I've seen (with chicks) where there is a constant coming (and going) with beakfuls of insects.

As a result, I assume that the male had gone off to feed again, while the female was sitting on eggs ( or possibly, I suppose, vice-versa)......a recent second clutch, presumably, or failed nesters starting again.

Freddy

Spotted Flycatcher tour - Sunday afternoon 3 July.

Further to Kev Wilson's post of 26 June (Sp Fly at South Thoresby, near Alford) and to Phil Espin's post of 27 June (Sp Fly in Hopland's Wood, near Alford), I decided to follow them up today but rated my chances of success rather low.

Anyway, I arrived at Hopland's Wood LWT near Alford at 2.10pm and spent 45 minutes there. It is a most remarkable wood with extremely tall broad-leaved trees towering up and up. Following Phil's directions I walked from the entrance gate through the wood on the main path to where paths cross. I then remained in that general area moving around there for some 25 minutes or so before a movement in the high branches above caught my eye : 2 Spotted Flycatchers were seen high up flycatching with possibly one or two young birds around (from branch movements). Patience rewarded ! Thanks Phil for the comprehensive info you sent me.

As Willoughby was quite close and my OS Map 122 showed a Church, I continued my trip there. Willoughby is renowned as the birthplace of Captain John Smith (1560-1631) who in 1606 joined an expedition to colonise Virginia. While out hunting he was taken prisoner by Native Americans (aka 'Red Indians') and would have been killed but for the intervention of Princess Pocahontas...... a famous tale. I visited the Churchyard (but nothing to report re Sp Flys) via "The Willoughby Arms" where I was able to toast one John Smith with another of the same name.

I then drove on to South Thoresby (3.40 - 4.15). I parked the car near "The Vine" and following Kev's detailed directions I walked down the hill towards the Church. At the entrance to the Church lane approach where Kev had seen his Sp Fly in trees, I saw two bird movements - one was a Chaffinch on a roof, the other turned out to be a Spotted Flycatcher perched on one of two tall stone entrance pillars to what looked like a derelict Chapel building. I stayed watching the bird as it flitted back and forth across the Church entrance lane flycatching in the sun, returning all the while to its perch. I walked past it - no more than 8-10 feet away - but it didn't move.
Again the Churchyard proved a disappointment (re Sp Flys).....they usually do....
Thanks, Kev, for your info and location stakeout.....spot on !

An unexpectedly successful afternoon and an interesting tour of the Lincolnshire Wolds - going via Wragby/Horncastle/Candlesby and returning to BBH via Louth/Wragby.

Freddy

Another one for you to check out Freddy.

I was at the Dower House Hotel in Woodhall Spa this afternoon for a luncheon party to celebrate my parents Diamond Wedding and despite a glass of bubbly or two I managed to spot a flycatcher hawking it's trade near the willow tree in the garden.

Last week I was in the Scottish Highlands for a few days. Why is it that they are still relatively common up there but we in Lincs can no longer support a sustainable population?

Mike

Thanks, Mike. That sounds a really good one to follow up as I shan't have far to go to celebrate another sighting.

Freddy