Pied Flycatchers

I spent a morning watching a pair of Pied Flycatchers feed their young recently. I got myself tucked out of the way, so as not to disturb the birds, and let my long lens do the hard work. It was a lovely warm  sunny morning, and it was a real joy and privilege to be able to spend time with these amazing little birds. I hope to head back in a few weeks to check up on them, but if they've fledged it could be a tricky task to track them down.

You can see my morning with the Pied Flycatchers here:

Male Pied Flycatcher

Female Pied Flycatcher

The Temperature's Rising

It was a very hot day, so I took myself to the Goyt Valley, where I was hoping that the tree cover and elevation may give me some respite. It did to a degree, but it was still a scorcher. Thankfully the birds were very active, as they have to feed their young no matter what the weather is doing. It was a very fruitful visit, with lots of new in Spotted Flycatchers, Pied Flycatchers, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Redstarts, Tawny Owls and so much more. Everywhere had something to look at and watch. Even a little Goldcrest came nice and close for me, and these are not that easy to pin down.

You can see a more detailed version of my trip here:

Goldcrest

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Pied Flycatcher

Redstart

Spotted Flycatcher

Swallow

 

Reservoir Woods

I took a walk around one of my favourite reservoirs and it's woodland last week, and it was alive with birdsong and wildlife. There was plenty to see, even if some of my subjects didn't make it easy. Their song always gave them away, and helped me locate them. 

There were Pied Flycatchers and Common Redstarts, plus some bonus birds like the Garden Warbler, Sparrowhawk and Common Sandpipers. It was a lovely sunny day, and the temperature lifted nicely too. 

I found some nesting birds, and others in good locations. So that all bodes well for when I return in a few weeks time, to hopefully find some of them feeding young.

Common Sandpiper

Great Crested Grebe

Mandarin Duck

Nuthatch

Pied Flycatcher

Common Redstart

Sparrowhawk

Summer Migrants

This years migration is well under way. I've made several visits to one of my favourite places nearby in the Goyt Valley, and I've not been disappointed. Pied Flycatchers, Redstarts and Tree Pipits are back where they belong and I've had fun trying to locate them, with varying degrees of success. So far, I have only located one or two male Pied Flycatchers. The females are always a little later, so I will have to go back to find them. I've also only found a couple of male Redstarts, but they are great little birds, and add so much colour and vibrancy to any day. Tree Pipits are not so colourful, but they make up for that with their song. All in all, the woodlands have a lot more sound and colour at the moment, and it's most welcome 😀

You can see my latest wanderings here: 

Pied Flycatcher (male)

Common Redstart

Tree Pipit

Pied Flycatcher, Redstart

Well, these beauties have been back here for the last couple of months, and in fact they are now feeding their fledged young (look out for some more photos of these soon). Always a highlight off my year when the Pied Flycatchers and Redstarts return. I spend quite a lot of time waiting and watching. I know where they should be and where they like, so it's best just to sit, blend in and let them come to you when they know you are no threat. The males do all the singing and the females seem to work much harder at finding nesting material. 

Male Pied Flycatcher

Male Redstart

Summer Migrants

It's that time again! I popped to one of my favourite places last week on the hunt for some of our Summer migrants, and I was delighted to be able to catch up with a few of them. The numbers are still a bit thin on the ground, but I'm hoping that it is still early in the season and that more will follow. Pied Flycatchers were the first to be located in their usual spot, but only two males around at the moment and no sign of the females. 

One or two Redstarts were singing and then finally located feeding along a wall. A Tree Pipit was also singing and parachuting down to it's favoured tree, and it's song echoed across the valley. Willow Warblers were singing everywhere and were by far the most common migrant in song. Lovely to have them all back and hopefully I will be catching up with them many more times before they once again depart our shores.

Pied Flycatcher

Common Redstart

Willow Warbler

Tree Pipit

Pied Flycatcher

The local Pied Flycatchers have done very well this year. In previous years I've struggled to find pairs, but I had no such issues this year. There were good numbers around the various sites and this bodes well for some good numbers fledging. It could have been the good warm dry weather that we had for around six weeks at just the right time in Spring. Fingers crossed that the first brood managed to get good amounts of food and left the nest healthy.

Pied Flycatchers in Cheshire

My recent visits to the Goyt Valley have been in hope of finding newly arrived migrants. One of those I always look forward to seeing again are the Pied Flycatchers. A lovely little black and white bird that flits around the canopy of the trees looking for it's meal. I came across my first one on the 18th April, which was almost identical to the previous years first finding. This particular male was singing, which helped me to track it down in the first instance. Seeing it after that was not so easy. I always forget how small they are, and it's always a job to see the movement through the branches. See it I did though, and spent a good amount of time watching it flit and pick off insects, then stop for a bit of song.

Male Pied Flycatcher

It briefly dropped to a lower level out of the sunlight. Amazing how colours change in the light.