We were delighted this week to come across a pair of spotted flycatchers nesting in Groombridge . Initially picked up on the Merlin birdsong recognition app, these migrants from tropical Africa are one of the last summer visitors to arrive in late May or June. They may only stay a couple of months, just long enough to nest and raise their chicks. They will usually be gone by September so July and August are good months to look out for them. They like to perch on a fence or top of a tree and wait for insects to fly by returning back to the same perch after their aerial acrobatics. Unfortunately they have been in rapid decline in recent years so are red listed ( highest grade of conservation concern). However you may still find them in churchyards, larger gardens and wooded areas with open glades.
They are a subtly beautiful, greyish-brown bird, pale underneath, with a streaky crown and lightly speckled breast.
Phil 7th July
Wild Groombridge 