Wednesday 30 May 2018

Spotted Flycatchers at Sandon Church

19th May 2018

Spotted Flycatchers used to be fairly common in Hertfordshire, often to be found breeding in churchyards and large gardens. I remember back in the year 2000 being taken round the grounds of Benington Lordship by the head groundsman and being shown no less than seven active nests, and being told that the year before that on one occasion there had been 22 Spotted Flycatchers sitting along the top of one of the tennis nets.

Sadly they are now in serious decline and although still sprinkled across the county, they are absent from many of their previous haunts. One of the regular sites in recent times is Sandon churchyard and on Friday 18th May came the first report of their return, so off for a visit. I spent some time searching for the birds in both the main churchyard and the annex, in both of which I have seen them in previous years. I knew that they had been seen in the churchyard this morning, but in the afternoon there was no sign.

Then I picked a movement out of the corner of my eye and found both birds flycatching from the marginal trees rather than the gravestones, which if often their usual practice. For some reason they seemed more approachable this year and I was able to spend the next hour and a half taking photos whenever I could.

Welcome Back!!!














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