Spotted Flycatcher living up to its name....

Some birds are so unobtrusive it would almost be possible to miss them completely....the spotted flycatcher is one such. It arrives relatively late in May, is not spectacularly-coloured and does not possess a striking song. But it holds a special place in my heart. I used to watch them as a boy up on Harrow on the Hill when they were relatively abundant and family parties were quite visible in late Summer. I used to have a favourite 'perch' - an old brick wall - where I would sit and revise in the shade on hot afternoons close to Harrow School Lake and they would feed around me, making sorties out from their favourite twig and catching an insect with an audible snap. If you listen to as well as watch this clip you can actually hear it. Fabulous stuff! It is a shame they are now so scarce, but a pair have bred at Wilstone reservoir so I shall be paying a few visits there in the next couple of weeks.