Our garden just keeps on yielding up new surprises, this time in the form of a pair of nesting Spotted Flycatchers. We have watched with 
delight at the sight of the male doing exactly what it is supposed to do – short looping darting flights and generally returning to the same perch. He appeared to prefer those really large flies with red eyes and has been far more efficient than our fly swat!
This is a Red List species having declined by half in only 25 years, probably 
due to problems in its over-wintering ground south of the equator in Africa or woodland management changes here in England. They are only here for three months departing by the end of August. What a very long journey for a bird about the size of a house sparrow.
Only the female incubates the eggs, the male constantly feeding her. The eggs hatched out after ten days and we waited for them to f
ledge. There were all there late one evening, all gone by early morning. Did they fledge or were they predated? A few days later some of them turned up in the greenhouse and had done a great job eating up all the flies, so all is well with the world.
We have not heard any Little Owls for a while and have not seen any movement around the owl box. It came, therefore, as a huge surprise to find a dead chick on the ground immediately below the box, since 
when we have seen and heard nothing. It is a complete mystery. On the other hand we are aware of a second brood for our Blackcaps, although it is hard to get clear views of this secretive bird, which is nesting high up in an ivy-clad oak.
Towards the middle of July we made our first visit to Shelden Woods and what a lovely surprise that was. There were several bird species 
and really good numbers of butterflies: Small Skippers, Ringlets, Holly Blues and best of all Silver-washed Fritillaries.
Wendy and Joe have been telling me about some hares they have seen from the Colestocks path and there have been further sightings of a Red Kite near Upton. Having hung around the area this long I am wondering if it has found a mate and she has nested somewhere near.
Paul (841696)
