Spotted Flycatcher

Above and below: Spotted Flycatcher.

The spotted flycatcher is a summer visitor to our shores. They arrive quite late in spring, around mid May and depart again in later September or early October. Their numbers have been steadily declining for some years now for reasons which are not entirely understood.

They are not a colourful bird but have a certain charm in their bold upright perching stance and quick darting flights, often returning to the exact same perch. The adult birds have a plain greyish brown back, wings and tail. The wing feathers have distinctive pale edges. The crown is also brown but with a distinct but subtle stripping. The beak is black or at least very dark, as are the legs. The breast and belly are white with some soft pale brown streaks mainly on the breast and less so or absent on the belly. Juveniles are similar but have cream spots on the back, a more spotted crown and a much more mottled breast.

I've not actually found these birds easy to find in the North West. They prefer woodland with open spaces and usually stay in the lower vegetation from where they can fly out to catch passing flies and insects. If you do find them they can be quite easy to photograph as they perch openly and are reasonably confiding.

I've come across them in my garden when I lived in Lymm (before my digital photography days) but more recently I've discovered that they can be found at Rostherne Mere. Just recently (August 2007) there have been as many as 5 recorded at the Boyd Observatory. They are out of camera range most of the time, but I've managed to get a few shots that I'm quite happy with in just a couple of afternoons. Keep careful watch as they sometimes perch in the hawthorn just in front of the hide. They often stay in the same place for a minute or two but only appear near the hide occasionally.

I'm keen to find other good locations for photographing these birds so if you know of any in the north west, please use the 'Contact me' button above to let me know.