Spotted Flycatcher
This morning, I flushed CFBW's third Grasshopper Warbler of the autumn shortly after arriving. I had a walk around 'The Magic Box' (a name I've just invented for the squarish route through the most rewarding zone of the patch). I thought the misty conditions may have increased the number of gulls present at Legal & General and therefore made the possibility of a Yellow-legged or Med greater, so included this on my walk. There were more Black-headed Gulls than usual and a handful of Herring Gulls (the count on a usual bright day is zero) but no firsts for the patch.
I made my way back to see if the Gropper was showing and came across Factor who was staking it out, after dipping the other recent bird four times. No sign, and Factor headed to Barnes. Ten minutes later I got a call from Paul 'P-Go' Goodman:
'I've got two Spotted Flycatchers!'
'Gah! Where!?!?'
'where the horses are'
Luckily, the Gropper site was within a two minute trolley drag of the birds and I got onto them in a tall tree before they flew off. Factor turned up again, following a phone call, and we got a couple of glimpses of the birds before they vanished once more. Factor then had another mosey around Circle Field and found them both, they then showed into the afternoon; Ian arrived and was very pleased. I savoured them for a good while and realised they were joined by a third bird (at one point all were in one scope view)! Spot Fly was Roy's 94th CFBW tick but Mark Stanley arrived later in the afternoon and failed to locate any of them.
Spotted Flycatcher
It was a real treat to see a trio of this declining but energetic bird on the patch. Here's hoping a Pied joins them tomorrow!
More pics at the cfbwbirds gallery.
