Thursday 24 May 2012

Spotted Flycatchers.

When I am asked what my favourite birds are I say Hobbies,Barn Owls and after this winter SE Owls and Spotted Flycatchers.Why Spotted Flycatchers because they are not very attractive? For me they do have some magic and are great to watch in action.

As a few of my friends much more adventurous than me have very recently got shots fairly locally of Bluethroats,Cream Coloured Coursers and Nightjars, I thought I'd better do something however tame in comparison so I set off this morning to Napton churchyard hoping some Spotted Flycatchers had turned up again there this year.

Things got off to a bad start and then quickly got worse.As I drove up to the car park I could see some construction work was being done to the right side of the church and then as I got out of the car the lawnmower man arrived and started to mow the grass between the graves.Very noisily as well.

After an hour keeping away from the mower I'd had no luck at all.Then I noticed a SF high up at the top of a conifer.Great at least there is one there but the little devil would not come down at all.Here is my best shot.







I then waited for the mower man to go and quite soon my little friend popped briefly onto the church roof and I was able to get some better shots before it disappeared.











After a bite of lunch I had another go and being patient (hard for me to do) I was rewarded with some closer views.There were two of them showing now.















A funeral then turned up and I had keep out of the way.I was sheltering under one of the large trees when blow me down one of the SF's landed on the tree trunk.I managed a few shots not realising how dark it was under there so most of my shots were blurred but I fluked this shot which was taken hand held at a very low speed (1/90).Could be my best shot ever of a SF.













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