Flycatcher at last

2nd July 2010

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Deciding to finally nail this Spotted Flycatcher I spent a while scanning all of the open areas of scrub along the lane. After giving up with this I walked down the lime avenue, and looking out over the ruined hall I saw a bird fly out and then back to a tree branch out of the corner of my eye. It sat there long enough to get a good look at my latest patch tick, Spotted Flycatcher at last. It then flew onto one of the old walls, within photographic range but facing the wrong way. I didn't mind, a lovely little bird.

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In a good mood I conducted a wildfowl count:

Mute Swans - 76 (5 cygnets)

Canada Goose - 30 (1 gosling)

Egyptian Goose - 62* - this is what I recorded but it seems high, maybe I wrote a number in the wrong column?

Greylag Goose - 143

Hybrid Goose - 3

Domestic Goose - 3

Mallard - 113

"Peking" type Duck - 1

Tufted Duck - 14

Pochard - 1 female (unusual for July)

Gadwall - 1 female

Coot - 79 (61 in the conservation area bay, two on nests)

Great Crested Grebes - 5

Moorhen - 1

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I also had a good day with dragonflies, including my first site Norfolk Hawker, 3 Emperors, 30+ Black-tailed Skimmers and thousands of damseflies. In terms of butterflies I saw Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Large Skipper, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White and Red Admiral. Last but not least I saw a Honey Bee swarm on a willow branch over the path.