Following the uploading of the county bird report for 2021, I received good news of Spotted Flycatchers nesting successfully both at Penybontfawr and at Hendre, near Llanfyllin. The pair at Hendre successfully fledged two broods both last year and this. Thanks to Pieter Nelson and Richard Kretchmer for the news, and to Pieter for the photo of the brood.
Thanks to David Warlow in Llanrhaeadr for this additional good news of Spotted Flycatchers:
ReplyDelete"In 2021, we had two successful nesting pairs. One in a re-purposed blackbirds's nest above our front door! And a second pair in a field shelter in our paddock. Two pairs were successful again in 2022, one using the same field shelter and an another an adjacent barn.
"I think the proximity to the river(s) plus the muck heap from our two horses provide an abundant food supply. All of the nest locations would fit within a single 75m diameter circle. Fledging dates ranged from last two weeks of July to first week of August across both years, despite the dissimilar summer weather. Typical numbers were three or four young in the nest at time of fledging.
"So, at least around here, the SFs are thriving. Plus they seem to do better in abundance and nesting terms than their Pied cousins which are infrequent sightings and do not avail themselves of the blue tit boxes, even when I left a couple covered until later in the season."